A truck loaded with bodies of unclaimed civilian casualties from Marawi City inside Dalipuga Public Cemetery on Thursday, June 15. (Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)
ILIGAN CITY, Philippines — Eleven unidentified dead bodies were buried at a public cemetery here on Thursday.
These civilians were killed as the air and land offensives by the government continue in Marawi.
Among the 11 cadavers was an unidentified young girl.
Most of the dead bodies were taken to Capin Funeral Parlor here since May 25, two days after the Marawi siege.
There were 20 of them, said Antonio Flores, chief of the community affairs office of Iligan LGU said, when interviewed by Davao Today on Thursday as the cadavers were being transferred from the funeral homes to the mass funeral at Dalipuga Public Cemetery here.
(Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)
Of the 20, nine were claimed by their families after calls were made through radio and other means of communications, Flores added.
“The city government decided to bury these cadavers after days of call yet none claimed for them,” he said.
But the decision to bury them was made after forensics from the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame came and made sampling for DNA tests and future identification, Flores pointed out.
Apartment-type tombs inside Dalipuga Public Cemetery in Iligan City are prepared for the unclaimed bodies of civilians from Marawi. A mass burial for the dead was carried out by the local government of Iligan City on Thursday morning, June 15. (Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)
Danilo Capin, owner of the funeral homes said eight of the 11 bodies are male, four are female, one of which is a young girl.
The city crisis committee has partnered with the funeral homes and is paying for the expenses.
Capin told Davao Today they are expecting more dead bodies to be transported to their funeral home.
“We were told by the crisis committee to prepare,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
