Remains of Holocaust victims found at construction site reburied in Belarus

The remains of more than 1,200 men, women, and children killed during the Holocaust and found in a mass grave in January in Brest, Belarus, were laid to rest on May 22 during a ceremony outside the city.

The remains were reportedly found during the construction of an apartment block in the city, and were subsequently exhumed and buried in coffins marked with the Star of David.

Among those in attendance were Brest city officials, local Jewish leaders, and members of the United States diplomatic corps, according to the US Embassy in Minsk and Israeli reports.

The victims were believed to have been killed during the Nazi occupation of Brest, which lies on the border with Poland, in 1942.

The BBC reported in April that specially trained soldiers tasked with unearthing the remains had noted bullets holes in the skulls. The soldier leading the excavations, Dmitry Kaminsky, told the BBC that the victims were shot in the back of the head. “The Nazis dug ditches and people were shot, then fell; shot, then fell,” Kaminsky was quoted as saying. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful