The official number of coronavirus deaths in Wuhan, China, is 2,500, but residents of the city where the pandemic was first discovered do not believe the government's figures. In fact, several calculations put the numbers much higher.

As the two month lockdown ends in Wuhan, residents report local funeral homes are giving families the cremated remains of about 500 people per day, according to Radio Free Asia. Before COVID-19, about 220 cremations were performed per day.

Since the pandemic struck, workers from other parts of China have been brought in to keep the crematoriums running round the clock, residents told Radio Free Asia.

"It can't be right," a Wuhan resident surnamed Zhang said, adding, "because the incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died?"

Residents have been going on social media and crunching numbers to determine daily capacity, the website noted, and Caixin.com reported a supplier delivered 5,000 urns to Hankou Funeral Home in a single day. That is twice the official number of coronavirus deaths.

According to some social media posts, Wuhan's seven funeral homes combined are giving families 3,500 urns a day.

The funeral homes have reportedly told families they will attempt to have all cremations completed by Qing Ming, a traditional grave-tending festival  April 5. That would put such an estimate at 42,000 urns to be completed.

A different estimate uses the capacity at which funeral homes could do cremations. If the city's 84 furnaces run 24 hours a day, there could be as many as 46,800 deaths.

Radio Free Asia quoted a source "close to the provincial civil affairs bureau" saying the true number of deaths was very sensitive, but the estimates being floated were not excessive.

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