Medellin mass grave excavated

By bogotapost July 29, 2015
Mass grave in Medellin

Colombia’s biggest ever exhumation begins at Medellin rubbish dump.

A landfill site in Medellin, which may turn out to be one of the world’s largest urban mass graves, is being excavated by forensic experts in the search of tens of bodies.

The Escombrera rubbish dump, near the city’s infamous Comuna 13 neighbourhood, is rumoured to contain upwards of 80 bodies, although some reports claim there may be up to 300 hidden beneath the debris.

According to the BBC, 20,000 tonnes of earth are to be removed over the next few months. However, investigators believe finding anything will be extremely difficult, as most of the bodies will have been crushed by the debris.

The bodies are believed to belong to those who disappeared in one of the bloodiest chapters of Colombia’s history.

A ceremony was held at the site before excavation began. Family members of possible victims have spent over a decade calling for the landfill to be closed and excavated.


By Azzam Alkadhi

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