The on-going industrial action by workers of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta State, has taken a dramatic turn as scores of corpses are now trapped in the mortuary.

Already, relations and depositors of the corpses are threatening the management of the hospital who are said to be making arrangements to serve the depositors instead of facing litigation.

The leaders of the workers under the aegis of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Unions in the FMC who raised the alarm at a news conference had revealed that the entire hospital has been in total darkness, adding that unless steps are taken to save the situation, the hospital's workforce might sink.

At the press briefing addressed by Comrade Anthony Asiodu, Chairman and Comrade Davidson Akinlaya, Public Relations Officer including leaders of the other seven unions in FMC, the workers contended that the few patients on admission were suffering as a result of the doctors being the only workers on duty.

While the centre premises remained in darkness with neither PHCN nor generator light, children on incubators were discharged hurriedly.

Leadership Sunday investigation revealed that corpses are trapped in the mortuary as a result of the mortuary attendants joining in the strike action.

Some deceased relations who spoke to our correspondent, one of them, Mr. Nnamdi Ngwe, said they were poised to institute a legal action on the management of the centre for what he described as insensitivity to workers welfare.

"We will go to court as our relations' corpses are already decomposing; no power to take care of them", he said.

While noting that the FMC maintains a huge mortuary service, representatives of the workers said their demand was not on increment in salary but for a better welfare package for workers.

Although the medical director of the centre, Dr. Leo Erhunmwunse when contacted denied that the corpses were trapped, adding that they made arrangement for depositors to collect their corpses.