A health board has apologised to a family after a hospital mix-up in South Wales led to the wrong person being cremated.

Relatives held a funeral service around three weeks ago after being given the body of a different person, who is not believed to have any surviving family members.

The family then held a second service for their loved one, who has not been named, after the mistake at the morgue at the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran was discovered, according to the South Wales Argus.

Hospital bosses have said they are “deeply sorry” for what they described as an “isolated incident” and an “exceptional case”.

An internal investigation has been launched into the circumstances that saw the wrong body given to the family before being cremated at Sirhowy Valley Crematorium in Blackwood.

A spokesperson for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board told Sky News: “We are utterly heartbroken about what has happened to the family, and we take responsibility for this isolated incident.

“Words cannot express how sorry we are. We have met with the family to fully inform them about this situation and to offer them as much support as they need.

“We would also like to reassure the public that this is an exceptional case. We identified this mistake through our own processes and after an initial review we are confident that this is down to human error in an isolated case.

“However, we are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident and we will keep family members fully updated throughout our investigation.

“No words we can say, or actions we can take, can put this right. We are deeply sorry, and our thoughts and full support remain with the family.

“To the current knowledge of the Health Board, there are no known family of the other patient.”

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A spokesperson for the crematorium, which is part of Westerleigh Group, told the Argus: “We pride ourselves on providing exceptional care and support to all families we serve and as such we treat their right to privacy incredibly seriously.

“We do not have permission to provide any comments without the consent of families.”

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