A mortician in Orly, France, said he refused approximately 150 bodies [1] because his facility lacked refrigerated storage space during a historic heatwave.

The situation highlights a critical failure in regional infrastructure as extreme temperatures drive a surge in mortality. When mortuary capacity is exceeded, the ability to safely store and process the deceased is compromised, creating a public health and logistical crisis.

Zouhaier Hertelli, an undertaker whose mortuary serves the Paris region, said Monday, June 29 [2], about the pressure on his facility. He said the volume of deaths caused by the heatwave filled all available refrigerated space, leaving him unable to accept new arrivals.

"I have no space left to store bodies," Hertelli said.

The shortage has led to desperation among families and institutional providers. Hertelli said he received panicked calls from retirement homes, families, and police officers searching for any available refrigerated storage for the deceased.

"We are receiving panicked calls from families, retirement homes and even the police trying to find space in refrigerated mortuary storage," he said.

Orly is located near Paris, where the heatwave has pushed the region's death toll higher. The inability of a primary mortuary to accommodate more bodies suggests that the surge in deaths has outpaced the existing cooling infrastructure in the area.

“"I have no space left to store bodies,"”

This incident underscores the vulnerability of urban death-care infrastructure to climate-driven mass casualty events. When a heatwave causes a spike in mortality, the demand for refrigeration increases exactly when power grids and cooling systems are under the most stress. The inability of a professional mortuary to manage the volume indicates that current regional capacities are not designed for the scale of mortality associated with extreme weather events.