A British tourist has sparked an urgent health alert at a pretty European beach after scattering their loved one’s ashes in the water.
The tourist waded into the Aegean Sea and scattered ashes, sparking “panic” among beachgoers. The Turkish beach is understood to have been the deceased one’s favourite place.
Now health authorities in Marmaris, a resort town along the Turkish Riviera, have launched an urgent investigation and took water samples after the ceremony on Monday, the Daily Mail reported.
Cremation is not legal in Turkey and there are no cremation facilities. Turkey has strict restrictions on bringing ashes into the country.
If a Briton dies in the country then local funeral directors can arrange a burial in line with local customs. Families are also able to arrange the repatriation of the body.
The restrictions on scattering ashes have caused heated debates in the past as Britons have taken to bereavement forums to voice their upset.
Robin, writing on the Sue Ryder bereavement support charity forum, explained how it took nearly two years to get permission to scatter his wife’s ashes.
He wrote: “It’s always difficult to decide where to scatter a loved one’s ashes. My wife always loved Turkey from the first time we went there 40 years ago and many many times after. So it was a no-brainer where she would want to be at rest.
“Unfortunately it’s never that simple. It took me nearly two years to get permissions set up with the UK airport, airline, Turkish airport, Turkish Government, Turkish Local Council Officials, Main Mosque Representatives, Turkish Police, and Local Port Authorities. I was told what I could and could not do every step of the way by officials.
“I even had to have a representative from the mosque with me to observe the scattering at a predetermined time and place.
“Even after all that hassle I felt happy that I had done the last physical thing I could do for her and she could rest in a place she always loved. My mind is at peace.”