Liberian Mass Graves May Hold 2,000 People
- Share via
MONROVIA, Liberia — Health officials were to begin exhuming bodies this weekend from dozens of mass graves north of the capital to check reports that they contain 2,000 victims of starvation and factional fighting.
A Health Ministry team was heading Saturday to Tubmanburg, 50 miles north of Monrovia, to investigate reports by a local charity, Concerned Christian Community, that about 2,000 people have died since July.
Sam Dopoe, chief medical officer of the West African country, told reporters Friday that the city could face severe health problems unless the bodies are properly buried.
Aid workers in early September discovered thousands of malnourished people in Tubmanburg, which was cut off from food aid for seven months because of rebel fighting.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.