A family is asking for answers when they were given the wrong body after he died while on vacation.
The horrifying ordeal has shocked the family, who have already forked out more than $18,000 ($25,000 CAD) for the funeral costs which are now on hold.
The family had been in Cuba when their father died, but the devastation was hit another blow when they received the body of another man.
Faraj Allah Jarjour and his family were enjoying a beach day near Varadero on March 22. Miriam, his wife, was swimming with the 68-year-old when he suffered a heart attack and despite their best efforts, died.
READ NEXT: Mystery object found washed up on Cape Cod beach was from ‘top-secret program’
They were forced to prop his body on a beach chair, covering it, for more than eight hours as they waited for a car to take them to Havana due to the restrictions of medical facilities nearby.
The family say after they reached Havana, they don’t know what happened.
As they were arranging the funeral, his daughter was contacting officials to find where her father’s body was. They had already paid more than $7,000 ($10,000 CAD) to fly him home. However, when he arrived, they discovered it wasn’t their beloved father inside the casket, but a Russian man, 20 years younger. They have sent the stranger’s body to his country, hoping his family will be at peace, but they don’t have it until they receive their father’s.
The Jarjours have contacted Canada’s consular authorities in Cuba, the company responsible for returning remains and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to get to the bottom of the incident. As it stands, they still have no idea where their father’s body is.
READ NEXT: Little girl complained about monsters in her bedroom – until her parents found something
