Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Faraj Jarjour, 68, died on March 22 in Varadero, Cuba during a family vacation.
The family paid $10,000 to have his body returned to Laval, Que. with them. But when they went to identify the father of two, a Russian man about 20 years younger was in the casket.
"I talked by phone with [Minister Mélanie Joly] about unfortunate incident related to the transfer of corpse of Canadian citizen who died in Cuba," wrote Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez on X. "Cuban authorities investigate to clarify incident. I conveyed heartfelt condolences & apologies to relatives and friends of the deceased."
Cuba offers refund to family
The family was devastated after the tragic incident and is still waiting to find out what happened to Jarjour's body.
Joly, Canada's foreign minister, called it an "unimaginable situation" on social media, adding that, "Canada will continue to help the Jarjour family until this situation is resolved."
Global Affairs Canada said it met with the Cuban ambassador Wednesday to discuss the situation.
"We appreciate that Minister Rodriguez has publicly expressed apologies to the family and relatives of this Canadian citizen and agreed to refund the family the cost of the repatriation service," wrote spokesperson Jason Kung in an email to CTV News. "We welcome the Cuban government’s firm commitment to rectify this extremely unfortunate situation as soon as possible. According to an email from spokesperson Jason Kung, as a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada."
Correction
An earlier version of this story stated that the Canadian government offered the family a refund for the repatriation. In fact, the Cuban government offered the refund.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.