A Muslim man’s body has been cremated in Germany after a hospital in Hannover has mixed up two dead bodies.

Abdulkadir Sargin, a Turkish citizen, died at the emergency service of the Hannover Medical School Hospital last week, officials have said.

During the funeral preparations on Tuesday, Sargin’s family members shocked and confused when they saw that the person in the coffin was a complete stranger.

Upon their call to the hospital, they were informed that the staff had mistakenly handed over his body to another family and that he was cremated.

Cremation is not permitted in the Islamic tradition and it is as a desecration of the deceased.

The Turkish Consulate in Hannover is in close contact with the family members and will provide all the necessary assistance to them, officials have said. (Anadolu Agency)