Body of fire victim left on Greek street because he was poor

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek officials say an 86-year-old man died in a single-home fire in the northern city of Thessaloniki and his body was then left on the street for two hours because undertakers refused to transport the destitute man's corpse to the morgue.

The firefighting service says it found the victim early Saturday.

A police official says neighbors called a funeral home to take the body, which was wrapped in a blue body bag. The official says that when undertakers were told the man was destitute with no known relatives, they dumped the body on the pavement, with legs sticking out, and left.

Eventually, police arrived and another funeral home took the body.

The official agreed to reveal details only on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation.