Undercover undertakers are said to be flouting laws that ban water burials of loved ones’ ashes with covert ceremonies in a pristine Swiss lake.
Funeral directors near 39-mile-long Lake Constance, one of the largest waterways in Europe, have reportedly ignored the ban and are offering secret services on the water to clients.
Local media reports that funeral parlours in Sankt Gallen and Thurgau cantons are charging up to EUR 8,000 (GBP 6,800) for the ceremonies despite new rules outlawing them since 2020.
Swiss rule-makers banned the water burials because they feared heavy metals found in the ashes of human remains were polluting the lake.
As well as a beauty spot and tourist resort, Lake Constance is a reservoir providing drinking water for tens of thousands of homes.
Local planners also felt, reports local media, that swimmers would be horrified by the thought of bathing in human ashes.
Undertakers in the region refused to comment on the claims.
Switzerland’s Lake Constance shores border Germany and Austria.
While water burials are a common ritual in Germany, in Austria it is only on the fast-flowing Danube River.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Thomas Hochwarter, Sub-Editor: Thomas Hochwarter, Agency: Newsflash
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