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Deaths Force Las Vegas-Area Mortuaries To Use Storage Trailers

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Funeral homes and the county coroner in Las Vegas are preparing for a post-holiday spike in coronavirus deaths by adding storage space — including refrigerated trailers with special shelving — for corpses.

Michael Murphy, a consultant serving as interim Clark County coroner, said southern Nevada was fortunate in procuring the portable metal containers early in the pandemic because jurisdictions throughout the country are now competing for ways to store bodies awaiting burial or cremation.

Murphy said the coroner's office distributed nine storage containers ranging in length from 20 feet to 40 feet to funeral homes and had three more on the way.