Supermarket covers worker's dead body with umbrellas as customers continue to shop
A morbid photo has emerged after a man died in a supermarket and his body was blocked with opened umbrellas while customers continued to shop.
The photo circulating on social media shows a short wall made of cardboard around the body, with green umbrellas covering the grim scene.
After the man died at the Carrefour Brasil supermarket in Brazil on August 14, his body was left on the shop floor, outraging people on social media.
“This is the body of a deceased worker in the middle of the Carrefour supermarket,” one wrote on Twitter alongside the photo.
“He died while working and was covered with umbrellas. Witnesses say the supermarket functioned normally.”
Brazilian news outlet G1 identified the worker as 53-year-old Moisés Santos, who suffered a sudden illness while at work.
It is believed his body remained in the open store for more than three hours.
“A worker died at Carrefour and had his body covered with umbrellas, crates and cardboard boxes,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Meanwhile, life went on normally in the supermarket. When did we stop caring for others? When did life come to be worth so little?”
Others have called on people to boycott the supermarket.
“It’s absurd. A Carrefour employee had a heart attack. Instead of closing, they covered his body ... and the market continued to function normally until the authorities arrived,” one commented.
Another outraged person wrote on Instagram the worker was somebody’s loved one.
“He was treated like garbage,” they wrote.
The employee’s wife told G1 she was outraged the store remained open while they waited for authorities to collect the body.
“The human being is worthless, people only care about money,” she said.
“I think it was a matter of respect. It would be a lot if they had lowered the doors, but at that moment, they did not think about the human being, they only thought about the money. It’s a horrible feeling.”
Supermarket apologises for not closing
Carrefour Brasil has since apologised, telling Reuters in a statement that its handling of the incident was inappropriate.
"The company erred in not closing the store immediately after what happened to await the funeral service, as well as in not finding the correct way to look after the body," it said.
According to Carrefour, the man was a sales manager who fell ill inside the store. First aid was given and an ambulance was called.
After the man died, Carrefour said it "followed guidelines to not remove the body from its place”.
"We apologise to the family and stand ready to support them in whatever way necessary," Carrefour said in its statement.
This is not the first controversy surrounding the way Carrefour handles incidents in its stores in Brazil. In 2018, a security guard at a store in the state of Sao Paulo killed a street dog after striking it with a metal bar, a case that caused revulsion on social media and with animal welfare groups.
with Reuters
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