Morgue attendant Gideon Mati (R) struggles to close a refrigerated shipping container filled with unclaimed corpses behind Port Moresby General hospital, 2007. Photo: AFP
Parts of the morgue at Papua New Guinea's main hospital, Port Moresby General, have been out of action for the past month, while a refrigeration unit has also broken down.
There are 257 bodies unclaimed at the hospital's morgue.
Chief executive Dr Paki Molum told the Post-Courier the mortuary is full and that a mass burial is expected to be conducted within the next three weeks.
The newspaper reports the morgue breaking down at the country's biggest hospital is a recurrent issue, despite promises from government agencies to solve it.
"When Post-Courier visited the mortuary yesterday afternoon, at least seven bodies were left lying outside in the open waiting for relatives to come forward."
The smell from the dead bodies lying in the open has started affecting residents nearby, according to the newspaper.
The hospital's director of medical services Dr Koni Sobi said due to the aging infrastructure, repairing the mortuary is an issue.