A Brazilian supermarket is under fire for using umbrellas to cover the body of a staff member who died mid-shift and allowing the store to remain open for business.
Manoel Moisés Cavalcante, 59, suffered a heart attack while working as a sales manager at a Carrefour store on August 14, Metro UK reported.
First aid was given and an ambulance was called, but Cavalcante died on the shop floor.
Carrefour said it "followed guidelines to not remove the body from its place" but instead of closing the store, staff continued to welcome customers and covered the body with three umbrellas and a number of cardboard boxes.
The victim's wife Odeliva Cavalcante told news outlet G1 she was "outraged" the store had remained open.
"The human being is worthless, people only care about money. I think it was a matter of respect. It would be a lot if they had lowered the doors, but at the moment, they did not think about the human being, they only thought about the money. It's a horrible feeling," she said.
Photos of the incident were widely shared on social media with commenters expressing outrage at the company.
In a statement on Wednesday, Carrefour Brasil acknowledged that its handling of the incident was inappropriate.
"Carrefour apologises for the inadequate manner that dealt with the sad and unexpected death of the victim of a heart attack, at the Recife store. The company erred in not closing the store immediately after what happened to await the funeral service, as well as in not finding the correct way to look after the body."
They said the stores have changed their guidelines in the "rare situation" of a fatality, to close the store immediately.
"We will continue in contact with the family of the victim for support in whatever is necessary and we will be concerned with the moment so difficult."
