The number of families that cannot afford to claim and bury or cremate their own people is growing, the Los Angeles county in California says. The number of people whose cremation was paid for by taxpayers rose 36 percent in 2008, over 2007, from 525 to 712. Los Angeles Times

Thirteen bodies have washed up on the Tanzanian island of Mafia (map), along with debris, and they are thought to be those of victims of the Comoros archipelago crash of a Yemeni airliner in 1 July. Officials say DNA tests will be needed to identify them. The island is south of Dar es Salaam, not far from the mainland. BBC

The Brazilian government says that two bodies  have been found as well as debris that appears to be linked to the AF447 Air France flight that went missing 1 June, not far from where the plane was last heard from. Caution is being urged, however, after false alarms earlier in the week over debris spotted and that appeared initially to belong to the flight. Among the debris found: a backpack with a computer in it, a suitcase, an airline ticket. BBC, CNN, Reuters