Belgian funeral director discovers extra leg in coffin

This article was last updated on March 7, 2025

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Belgian funeral director discovers extra leg in coffin

A funeral director in Belgium looked crazy when he prepared a body for cremation. In the coffin was not only the body of the deceased, but also an extra leg.

It turned out to be a body that was made available for science. After research at the University of Antwerp, the university sent the body back, but accidentally added an extra leg.

“That leg actually had to be used for further scientific research. But it was therefore given by mistake with the remains that had already been released,” says spokesman Peter De Meyer of the university against the VRT.

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“Those bodies are dealt with very respectfully,” says De Meyer. “Every year a moment of silence is also organized to show gratitude and to reflect on the difficult decision that was made to give the body to science.”

The funeral director discovered the error on time, so that the leg was not cremated. De Meyer promises that the university will pay better attention in the future, but emphasizes that a mistake is always possible.

The number of bodies made available to science for the University of Antwerp is increasing, says De Meyer. “In 2022 there were 87, last year there were 116.”