It sounds like a premise straight out of satire or science fiction, but across the globe, there are towns that have banned dying. Far from being a quirk of eccentric leadership, these anti-death decrees are born out of desperate practical realities, including frozen landscapes where bodies refuse to decompose or overcrowded cemeteries. Here is a look at the places where death is officially forbidden.
In the village of Lanjarón, Spain, it is technically illegal to die. Then-mayor José Rubio issued an official declaration in 1999 banning death in the town.
“It is forbidden for any person not in possession of a family vault to die on the village’s territory,” the order stated, reported the BBC in 2000.
Interestingly, not just death but giving birth is also illegal. Because the small place lacks proper medical facilities, it’s.
In case someone dies in the town before reaching the mainland, the body is cremated. However, that includes a lengthy process.
Since then, people nearing death in this town are flown to the mainland in Norway.
