37 skeletons discovered while digging foundation for house in Gia Lai

Speaking to VietNamNet on the morning of October 5, Mr. Bui Van Khanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Po district (Gia Lai province) said that many sets of remains had just been discovered lying on top of each other, suspected to be a mass grave, when a resident leveled the ground to dig a house foundation. The Martyrs' Remains Collection Team - K52 (Gia Lai Province Military Command) is continuing its work and expanding the search area.

According to initial information, during the process of leveling the land to dig the foundation for a house, Mr. Dinh Van Thanh's family (residential group 4, Dak Po town, Dak Po district) discovered many skeletons and reported it to the local authorities.

Upon receiving the news, the Gia Lai Provincial Steering Committee 515 mobilized nearly 40 officers and soldiers of Team K52 (Provincial Military Command) to the scene to verify the information, organize the search and carry out procedures to collect the remains.

The Martyr Remains Collection Team – K52 found 37 sets of remains in Dak Po town. Photo: HB

At the scene, there were many remains piled on top of each other, not in order, and the exact number was not yet determined. The Provincial Steering Committee 515 requested Team K52 to mobilize human resources to expand the search area, and at the same time directed the authorities to take DNA samples to determine whether they were the remains of soldiers or not, and when they died.

At this location, Team K52 also discovered many other relics such as buttons, ballpoint pens, combs, wallets, bullets, etc. Initially, authorities determined that the relics were equipment commonly used by soldiers.

It is known that about 2 years ago, through information collected from local people, Team K52 organized a search for martyrs' remains in several locations in Dak Po district but found no trace.

Notably, the common grave was just discovered at Mr. Thanh's house, just a few meters away from the location where the search was conducted.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Lich, Vice Chairwoman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, was present at the scene to direct and encourage the search force. Photo: HB

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Huong, Chairman of Dak Po Town People's Committee, said that by the night of October 4, the Martyrs' Remains Collection Team - K52 had found 37 sets of remains in this area.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/phat-hien-37-bo-hai-cot-khi-dao-mong-lam-nha-o-gia-lai-2328919.html