Canadian died in Cuba – was buried in Russia by mistake

A government source says it has been a major challenge for the Canadian authorities to find out what actually happened to the body of Faraj Allah Jarjour.

They still got a bit of a shock when the news came that two coffins had been mixed up at the airport in Cuba, and that the Canadian had by mistake been sent on a final journey to Russia and buried there.

Now the authorities are working hard to get him back home to Canada.

Got another corpse

Jarjour, originally from Syria, was on holiday in Varadero, Cuba when he died suddenly during a swim in the sea at the end of March.

It was believed that the body had been returned to Canada. The funeral home that had been tasked with preparing the body for burial, on the other hand, began to scratch their heads when the man in the coffin looked nothing like the man in the photo they had received from the bereaved.

The deceased looked 20 years younger, had lots of hair and tattoos. On the other hand, Jarjour, who came to Canada in 2016 after fleeing the war in Syria, was 68 years old and bald when he died.

The man in the coffin turned out to be from Russia and was sent on after the confusion was discovered.

Cuba says sorry

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has apologized for the confusion towards those left behind, and refers to the whole thing as an “unfortunate incident”. His Canadian counterpart Mélanie Joly says she really feels for those left behind and the “unimaginable situation they are facing”.

– They are going to dig him up and send him to Canada, says Jarjour’s daughter Miriam broadcaster CBC.

– It is not a good situation, but we have no choice. It is beyond our control. We just have to be patient, she says.

Cuba has promised to repay the 10,000 dollars it cost the bereaved to bring the father of the family home from Cuba. It is still not clear when Jarjour will finally be buried in the right place.