Morgue forklift used for heavy bodies

SYDNEY, April 20 (UPI) -- An Australian morgue has bought a forklift to help its staff handle the increasing number of very heavy bodies.

Matthew Orde, the forensic pathologist at the Glebe Morgue in Sydney, said morbidly obese corpses need special handling, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The forklift will help with moving them, although it will not solve another problem, that soft tissue like fat tends to putrefy more quickly..

"A fat person will go off more quickly than a skinny person," he said, putting the problem delicately.

About half of the population of New South Wales is now considered obese.

"The deceased persons we get reflect the growing obesity of the community," he said.