Florence morgue error results in accidental cremation of 87-year-old man

A family in Florence, Italy, is seeking legal action after the body of 87-year-old Leonardo Bonazzi was mistakenly cremated at a morgue. The error occurred at the Careggi mortuary, where Mr. Bonazzi's remains were swapped with those of a woman.

The mistake was discovered by the family only minutes before the funeral service was scheduled to begin at the San Francesco e Santa Chiara church in Montughi. Relatives and friends had already gathered for the ceremony when the son of the deceased received an urgent call informing him that the cremation had already taken place.

According to the family, the remains were processed under the woman's identity, and the ashes are currently held at the Trespiano Crematorium under her name. The family has reported the incident to the Carabinieri and is consulting a lawyer regarding potential civil and criminal consequences. Investigations are underway to determine how the identification error occurred and why proper verification protocols were not followed.