Seventy-Nine unclaimed bodies and body parts were buried in two mass graves at the 9-Mile Cemetery in the National Capital District on Wednesday 4th January 2023.
Director of Medical Services at Port Moresby General Hospital, Dr. Koni Sobi said there are currently 295 unclaimed bodies of the deceased at the hospital morgue.
Director of Medical Services at Port Moresby General Hospital Dr. Koni Sobi said there were 92 unclaimed bodies and body parts, which were at the morgue from March – July 2022. These were buried today.
Dr Kobi said last year they did just one mass burial for unclaimed bodies brought to the morgue between January and March of 2022.
At the burial site today a morgue attendant confirmed only 79 coffin boxes including 50 bodies laid in the two mass graves, 36 in one and 14 in the other with 29 body parts.
Hospital morgue attendants said that after the media notice went out, some families retrieved bodies of their deceased relative for private burials.
Those that were not claimed are now laid in two unmarked graves at the back of the main 9-Mile cemetery, sadly with no ceremony nor relatives to bid them farewell.
Dr. Sobi, said they will prepare this month for any unclaimed bodies from August to December 2022, and plan another mass burial next month.
As of yesterday there were 17 bodies in the layout waiting to be taken into the morgue.