German cemetery cremates wrong body

A German woman was cremated by mistake after cemetery officials mislabeled the body, Cologne city officials said. The woman's family called police after her coffin disappeared Oct. 14 before what was supposed to be a traditional burial at the Westfriedhof cemetery in Cologne. At first, cemetery workers denied there was any possibility the woman's body had been cremated but when Cologne's Office for Public Spaces began investigating officials found another body that was supposed to have been cremated still at the cemetery and realized workers had made the mistake, TheLocal.de reported Wednesday. "Mistaking a number and burning the wrong body should not be allowed to happen in this highly sensitive domain, but failing to discover the correct body despite several checks is unforgivable," said Manfred Kaune, head of the public spaces office."It's an absolute mess, which will have consequences, including for members of staff."