Turku crematorium stores bodies on floors due to overcrowding

The crematorium in Turku is facing such severe storage shortages that bodies are being kept on the floors of refrigeration units, according to a report by Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Pekka Sorri, head of burial services for the Turku and Kaarina parish federation, confirmed that demand has outstripped capacity, forcing some bodies to be temporarily stored on non-refrigerated floors when cold storage units are full. The facility, which handled more cremations than any other in Finland last year, is now directing excess cases to other regional crematoriums in Rauma, Karjaa, and Hämeenlinna—extending transport distances.

A renovation project set to begin this autumn will expand underground cold storage by nearly 200 square meters—roughly half the size of a football pitch—doubling current capacity. Once completed, the crematorium will be able to process over 4,000 cremations annually, potentially serving all of Southwest Finland.

Currently, the facility operates five days a week, cremating 12–14 bodies daily. Post-expansion, operations may extend to six days or introduce second shifts. Sorri emphasized that the goal is not to compete with other crematoriums but to better serve the local region, where cremation rates exceed 85% in urban areas and are rising in rural municipalities.

Nationwide, Finland’s cremation infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with demand. Matti Halme, secretary-general of the Finnish Federation of Burial Services, noted that while cremations have increased by 20,000 over the past decade, only two new crematoriums have been built in the same period. Some bodies are now transported hundreds of kilometers for cremation.

Halme proposed amending burial laws to allow private companies to operate crematoriums, arguing that current delays—with bodies stored for weeks—violate the legal principle of dignified treatment. “They lie in cold storage for extended periods waiting for procedures,” he said. “That’s no longer in the spirit of the law.”

The €8.7 million renovation of Turku’s Holy Cross Chapel, approved in principle this week, will also update 1960s-era infrastructure and mechanical systems. During the year-long project, funeral services will be relocated to other chapels, with ceremony times shortened by 30 minutes to accommodate scheduling constraints.