Moment British tourists wade into the sea and scatter a loved one’s ashes in the water at their favorite holiday spot in Turkey… unknowingly horrifying and damaging the health of locals

This is the moment British tourists wade into the sea to scatter the ashes of a loved one, sparking a health scare among ‘panicked’ locals at a popular Turkish swimming spot.

Video shared by the Ibrox Bar Marmaris, a Rangers FC sports bar on the On the beach of Uzunyalı on Monday morning just off the coast, a large group of people could be seen hugging each other and scattering ashes.

The family had reportedly traveled with the intention of spreading the ashes on the beach, the deceased relative’s favorite vacation spot, as a moving ceremonial tribute.

Health authorities in Marmaris, on the southern Aegean coast, were reportedly prompted to launch a hasty investigation following backlash from concerned locals about possible water contamination.

Swimmers warned that the spread of ash in popular waters just a stone’s throw from the coastline could endanger health.

Local reports later claimed the samples taken from the sea ‘had nothing to do with the incident’ and were, however, part of a ‘routine inspection’.

Although the cremation process kills any potential microorganisms that pose health risks, the practice is not legal in Turkey and restrictions are in place to limit the introduction of ashes into the country.

A witness, who was staying at the nearby Asda Maris hotel, told MailOnline today that there were ’40 people staying in three hotels’, including friends and family, who had made the trip in honor of the deceased.

“The daughter explained that her 43-year-old father had passed away and they all wanted to remember him by placing his ashes in the sea on his favorite beach in Marmaris,” said Paul, who added that the family had visited the area. ‘for many years’.

‘On their first day about twenty of them met at the Asda Maris hotel and had a lovely day eating, drinking beer and cocktails, using the pool and slide, so they were generally in a good mood before the ashes were actually spread. ‘

The water tests organized by local authorities were not directly related to ash concerns, local media later reported, contradicting initial claims.

There is also no direct health risk from ash in the sea.

Cremation takes place at such high temperatures that any microorganisms that could cause health problems are destroyed.

But restrictions on scattering ashes in Turkey have caused unrest among travelers in the past.

British forum users have described the lengthy process of wading through Turkish and British bureaucracy to get permission to host a broadcast.

Robin, writing about Sue Ryder’s bereavement charity forumsaid it took them almost two years to get permission from all relevant authorities to scatter their wife’s ashes.

“My wife has always loved Turkey from the first time we went there 40 years ago… so it was a no-brainer where she would want to rest,” they wrote.

‘Unfortunately it’s never that simple.

‘It took me almost two years to get permission from the British airport, the airline, the Turkish airport, the Turkish government, officials from the Turkish local council, representatives from the main mosque, the Turkish police and local port authorities.’

Still, they said they were eventually able to organize the trip and that their “minds were at rest” after they were able to do “the last physical thing I could do for her.”

Although some airlines allow passengers to take ashes into Turkey in carry-on luggage, restrictions remain on what people can do with them after landing.

Cremation is not legal in Turkey and there are no cremation facilities.

When a British person dies in Turkey, the British government takes action advisesfinding a local funeral director to arrange a funeral, who can ‘explain the local process’.

Turkey is a Muslim country, and while it is permitted for non-Muslims to be buried in accordance with their own burial practices in the country, cremation is not permitted under Islamic law.

The relatives can also arrange the repatriation of the body home.

In 2022, cultural sensitivities about this were felt when a Turkish man was accidentally cremated in a hospital in Hannover.

The family of Abdülkadir Sargın, a Turkish citizen, was shocked to discover during funeral preparations that the person in the coffin was a complete stranger.

The 71-year-old Sargın had died of a brain hemorrhage at MHH Hospital in Hannover.

His body was to be transported to a funeral parlor for an Islamic burial at the request of the family.

After the gruesome discovery, an intern at the hospital’s mortuary admitted he had made a mistake and mixed up the bodies, according to Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.

The family expressed concern about why the body was cremated so soon after Sargın’s death, and local police launched an investigation.