Coronavirus: Police make grim discovery of 17 bodies ‘stacked’ up in nursing home shed after tip-off

Police found the bodies of 17 suspected coronavirus victims piled up inside a makeshift morgue at a nursing home in Andover, New Jersey, US.

THE horrific discovery was made in the town after officers received an anonymous tip-off.

They arrived at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Centre, one of the state’s largest homes, after being told that a body was being stored in a shed.

Upon investigation, they found the corpses inside a makeshift morgue intended for four people at most, the home is understood to have suffered 68 deaths in recent weeks as the US becomes the global epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of those who have died, two are understood to be nurses and 26 had tested positive for the virus. Eric Danielson, the town’s police chief, said: “They were just overwhelmed by the number of people who were expiring.”

Local health records suggest that a further 76 patients are ill with the potentially deadly bug, in addition to 41 members of staff. Thirteen of the bodies have now been moved by refrigerated truck to a hospital in the nearby town of Newton, according to local police.

A funeral home is due to pick up the remaining four, the discovery has caused anguish for those whose relatives and loved ones live in the home.

One woman wrote on Facebook earlier this week that she felt “helpless,” she said: “I feel like everyone is going to get Covid. What do we do?” The nursing home later said that sick patients have all been isolated on separate wings and floors.