In Hong Kong even the dead wait in line

Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated place in the world with park benches packed and strangers share tables at restaurants.

For the 40,000 people who die here every year, it turns out there's no respite from the crowds, even in the afterlife.

While a land shortage forced Hong Kongers to give up on burials long ago — only 11% of bodies were buried in 2007 — the city has also run out of space for cremated ashes.

By some estimates, that means roughly 50,000 families must store their relatives' remains in funeral homes and offices while they wait — often for years — to secure a 1-sq.-ft. resting place.

More of the story here.