A group of friends took the body of their murdered pal out of his coffin to give him one last ride on a motorbike as a bizarre send-off in Ecuador.
The body of Erick Cedeno was removed from its coffin by a group of his friends in Portoviejo, in Ecuador’s Manabi province.
Cedeno, 21, died last weekend after reportedly being shot by two assailants while on his way to attend a funeral.
Cedeno was removed from his wooden coffin by his group of friends for the ride. They claimed to have received permission for the send-off from Cedeno’s family
Video footage shows the group removing Cedeno from his wooden coffin and carrying his body towards a waiting motorcycle.
He is then positioned behind the bike’s rider, and another friend then sat behind Cedeno to ensure his body didn’t fall off during the ride.
As the men are moving Cedeno’s body, a large crowd is also seen to have gathered to observe the bizarre scene.
The motorbike then drives off down a road and some of the friends who helped set the send-off up can be seen cheering and raising their hands in the air.
La Repubica also reports that the friends poured alcoholic drinks on Cedeno’s coffin.
The group claim they received permission from Cedeno’s parents for the send-off – but authorities slammed the incident as ‘aberrant’.
Friends could be seen cheering and triumphantly raising their hands in the air as they positioned Cedeno on the motorbike
Though none of those involved in removing Cedeno’s body from his coffin have been arrested by the authorities.
And due to his funeral being considered a private function, an investigation into the incident has not been opened.
In some parts of the world, digging up dead relatives is seen as a traditional custom – with those removed from graves washed and sometimes dressed in new clothes.