Workers came across human remains – and unearthed a mass grave of 572 people

Workers in northern Sri Lanka accidentally uncovered the country's largest mass grave – and reopened wounds from its civil war. When a mass grave was unearthed in northern Sri Lanka last February, it was not by design. Workers were digging to extend a cremation ground in the Chemmani area of the Jaffna region when they suddenly discovered human remains, prompting an investigation. By August, archaeologists had completed the third phase of the excavation at the site, during which they found the skeletal remains of 572 people, including children and infants. Among the dead were artefacts from their lives – bangles, a school bag, a milk bottle. It is believed to be the largest mass grave site ever uncovered in Sri Lanka.

There had been whispers of its existence before – a soldier on trial for the rape and murder of a young woman during the country's devastating civil war, had spoken about a mass grave which contained hundreds of bodies. Rights groups said they were disappeared civilians And while the discovery is devastating, it has offered hope to people like Jeyaruby Jeyabalan, whose father was among thousands of people who disappeared during the decades-long war. Jeyabalan and families like his hope that answers about what happened to their loved ones lie among the bodies. Many Tamils believe the grave holds