A woman whose stepfather died in Thailand on February 15 says the hospital there will not release his body in a mix-up over passport numbers.
David Donoghue, 75, who retired to Phuket 15 years ago, will join a mass cremation at the hospital if the issue cannot be rectified.
Gemma Swift said she was “pleading” with embassy staff in Thailand to resolve a “purely administrative issue.” The UK Foreign Office said staff were trying to obtain the correct paperwork.
Donoghue, who lived in Greater Manchester before emigrating, suffered from the lung disease COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was taken to the Thai hospital by ambulance but had an expired passport with him.
However, the paperwork from the British Embassy in Bangkok needed to secure the release of his body to the funeral director showed the number of his current passport. Because the two did not match, his body has remained at the hospital.