Body of Spanish man abandoned in potato warehouse in Iceland

The family of Jos¨¦ Ignacio Soto, a resident of La Malah¨¢ in Granada who died last Wednesday in Akureyri in Iceland, are outraged that his body was abandoned in a potato warehouse for nine hours before it was taken to the capital Reykjavik.

His corpse was set to be cremated this Thursday, and according to Rosa Mar¨ªa Rold¨¢n, an aunt of the victim, the family had authorized a friend to bring the remains back to Spain.

We feel frustrated and helpless. No one has offered any help

Friend of Jos¨¦ Soto

Soto had traveled to Iceland three weeks ago to look for work but died after having a heart attack at just 33 years of age, according to the magazine Ideal. Rold¨¢n said it was ¡°degrading¡± that the body of her nephew ¡°was transported in a fruit and vegetable truck¡± by the company Eimskip to the port of Akureyri, almost 400 kilometers from where it was supposed to have arrived on Monday ¨C the morgue in Reykjavik, where it was awaiting an autopsy.

Instead Soto¡¯s body was taken on Friday to the port by mortuary services ¡°without prior consultation with the consul or the family.¡±

At Akureyri, the body was kept for nine hours, without air conditioning or any supervision, next to a potato factory. It was only moved when one of Soto¡¯s friends in Iceland discovered it early Saturday morning. The friend quickly put the box in cold storage and alerted authorities about what had happened. Soto¡¯s group of friends showed the Spanish consul and the police photos of the incident.

Soto¡¯s body was taken to Akureyri ¡°without prior consultation with the family¡±

Another friend has decided to return Soto¡¯s ashes to Spain after the consulate confirmed the ¡°elevated cost of repatriating the body.¡± He told Spanish radio station Onda Cero: ¡°It costs €10,000 and his family has very limited financial resources, and wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for it. That¡¯s why I decided to bring the remains in an urn to La Malah¨¢,¡± adding: ¡°We feel frustrated and helpless. No one has offered any help.¡±

According to Rold¨¢n, Soto¡¯s body is now in Reykjavik where it is waiting to be transferred to Madrid. She said her nephew ¡°had no illness before his trip.¡± ¡°He was happy, he was fulfilling his dream. He trusted he was going to find work,¡± she said.

Before traveling to Iceland, Soto was living with his mother in La Malah¨¢. The deputy mayor of La Malah¨¢, Francisco Moreno, said local authorities have assisted the family with the repatriation process.

English version by Melissa Kitson.