Pacific / Vanuatu

Vanuatu car park to be turned into cemetery because of plot shortage

16:09 pm on 21 July 2020

A car park in Port Vila is to be transformed into a cemetery to help address a shortage of space for graves in the Vanuatu capital.

There is a shortage of space for grave plots in the local cemetery Photo: RNZ Pacific / Hilaire Bule

Port Vila Mayor, Eric Festa, said there was no longer space for burial at the local cemetery.

The government is currently negotiating for land outside the municipal area but Mr Festa said there was a need for a quick solution.

"So far we have no more space so I want to bury people at the parking area, because we have no space, so we have no choice.

"We are going to start to use the parking area to put our old people there to rest in peace."

Mr Festa said a last resort would be to begin to share plots where existing people were buried but he would be reluctant to go down that route.