The Zaventem municipal council in Flemish Brabant has sealed off an unlicensed mortuary in an apartment building.
This has been reported by various media outlets and confirmed by councillor Tom De Vits (N-VA), the municipal council and the local police.
Local residents went to the magistrate's court to file a complaint and informed the municipal council. It is currently unclear how long the unlicensed mortuary had been operating.
The Al Ihsan mortuary in an apartment block in Zaventem was reportedly storing bodies in accordance with Sunni Islamic rituals. However, the owner did not have the required licence.
"Their website states that they have three years of experience. Hopefully, that was not at that location," says councillor Tom De Vits (N-VA). The opposition party raised the issue on Monday evening during the council meeting.
"We were informed on Thursday about the mortuary that was operating there without a licence. It is a grim discovery and we understand that the residents are absolutely not happy about this. Fortunately, swift action was taken. One of our major concerns was that the remains had to be removed quickly. The mayor confirmed on Monday that this had indeed been done. There are no longer any remains in the apartment building."
According to the local police, on 18 February, they were informed by a resident of the apartment building in question about the activities of a funeral director in the building.
"Our services and the local authorities immediately took steps to investigate this further," according to a press release.
"The local authorities sent the intermunicipal supervisor of the Haviland intermunicipal association to the site for an official inspection. During this inspection, it was established that the funeral director in question did not have the required environmental permit and did not comply with the applicable sectoral conditions. The operator was then ordered to cease activities immediately."
"Operating an establishment without the necessary permit is classified as a misdemeanour, while failure to comply with specific sectoral conditions is considered a violation," the press release continues.
"In addition, the local authority informed both the owner of the property and the building manager of the activities that had been observed. As part of administrative enforcement, a hearing will be organised with the person responsible for the funeral home. During this hearing, the local authority will examine what additional administrative measures can be imposed."
The municipal council is outraged that such activities are taking place without any licence and without compliance with the regulations, and therefore fully understands the reactions and concerns of the residents, it adds.
