Police find 17 bodies piled in US nursing home following anonymous tip

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he was "outraged" at the discovery and has since ordered a review into the state's care facilities.

Ambulance crews outside Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center in Andover, New Jersey. Source: AAP

A US state has ordered a review of all long-term care facilities after 17 bodies were piled up inside one nursing home morgue designed to hold just four people.

New Jersey police officers made the discovery this week at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Centre, which has been linked to 68 deaths since the coronavirus outbreak began, after receiving a tip that there was a body in a shed.

Andover Township Police Department Chief Eric Danielson briefs the media at Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center. Source: AAP

The town's police chief told local media the facility was "just overwhelmed by the amount of people who were expiring".

Police moved 13 of the bodies to a refrigerated truck at a nearby hospital, with local media reporting the nursing home has now acquired its own refrigerated truck for any future deaths. 

The facility, one of the biggest in New Jersey, has almost 700 beds across its two homes.

Across the state, it is estimated that at least 10 per cent of the 60,000 poeple housed in care facilities have COVID-19. 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he was "outraged" when he heard the bodies of the dead had been allowed to pile up.

"Last Saturday, we were notified that the facility was in need of body bags for deceased residents," Mr Murphy said.

"New Jerseyans living in our long-term care facilities deserve to be cared for with respect, compassion and dignity." 

The state has now reported 75,317 cases of COVID-19 and 3518 deaths.

Additional reporting from Reuters.

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