Pet store expects fish shipment, but gets corpse

BEIJING, March 13 -- Employees of a Pennsylvania pet store expecting a

shipment of tropical fish and salt water got a man's dead body instead.

Mark Arabia, who owns the Pets Plus store in northeast Philadelphia, says

he learned the body was that of a 65-year-old San Diego-area man who died of

early onset Alzheimer's disease.

The body was supposed to go to a research laboratory in Allentown, a

70-mile drive away.

U.S. Airways Inc. released a statement saying the air cargo problem was

caused by a "verbal miscommunication between a delivery driver and the cargo

representative." The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said it's deeply sorry.

The fish were shipped in three boxes. The corpse was shipped in a wooden

coffin wrapped in cardboard.

Arabia said the fish were left at the airport and probably died.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies)