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Warning: This article includes details that may be distressing for some readers.
Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago have launched an investigation following the discovery of 56 bodies, predominantly infants, abandoned at a local cemetery.
This troubling find adds to the challenges faced by the twin-island Caribbean nation, which is grappling with rising crime rates, including violent gang activities. As a response, officials extended the current state of emergency last month.
The chilling discovery was made on Saturday at a cemetery in the town of Cumuto, located roughly 40 kilometers east of the capital, Port of Spain.
Police reports indicate that of the 56 bodies found, 50 were infants, accompanied by the remains of four men and two women.
Police said five of the adults had toe tags, such as those found in morgues, and that a man’s and a woman’s body has signs of an autopsy. They did not immediately say if any of the bodies had been identified.
Police said they were working to determine the origin of the human remains and any associated breaches of law or procedure.
“Every cadaver must be handled with dignity and lawful care,” police commissioner Allister Guevarro said in a statement.
“Any individual or institution found to have violated that duty will be held fully accountable.”
The government of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has started a crackdown on violent crime in the Caribbean nation.
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