Mariupol authorities burying city’s dead in mass grave

Authorities of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol have begun burying the city’s dead in a mass grave, according to The Associated Press.

Individual burials have been halted due to continued bombardment in the city, creating overflowing morgues and unidentified bodies, according to the news outlet. Officials in Mariupol decided to place remains in a mass grave.

Over Tuesday and Wednesday, social workers in the city transported about 70 bodies to one of Mariupol’s oldest cemeteries. A nearly 25-meter long trench was dug in the cemetery for the bodies to be laid to rest, the news outlet reported.

Among the dead were military personnel and civilians, according to AP.

Social service workers with the city have reportedly also retrieved remains from homes. Some civilians who died from natural causes or illnesses were also included in the mass grave.

Families of the deceased were not present to say their final goodbyes, the AP noted.

Over 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia first invaded the country weeks ago.