Rumors of cremating two or more bodies at a time denied

Shanghai's civil affairs authorities have denied the claim that funeral parlors are cremating two or more corpses instead of one during cremation.

The Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau said that the city's cremation equipment and procedures are up to national standards, and that only one body is incinerated at a time.

The bureau denied the social media claim, saying the funeral and interment personnel respect the dead and their families.

Shanghai's civil affairs, cyberspace, and communications control authorities have increased their crackdown on unlawful funeral and interment agencies. Since late December, 23 fraudulent funeral and interment websites have been shut down.

The bureau said that people who pretend to be authorized employees of funeral and burial service providers and post false information online will also be punished harshly.