Remains of over 30 Civil War soldiers found in mass grave
Lleida dig uncovers bodies from both sides of conflict as excavation program put on hold due to direct rule
Archeologists have found the remains of more than 30 soldiers who fought in the Spanish Civil War in a mass grave in Lleida. The mass grave is located in an old cemetery in Soleràs, in the county of Garrigues.
The project to uncover the remains began on October 16, as part of the Catalan government’s mass grave plan for 2017/2018. However, with the suspension of self-government in Catalonia the program has now been stopped.
According to the foreign affairs department, since the program began some 129 mass graves have been identified around Catalonia, and the remains of 101 individuals from both the Republican and Nationalist sides recovered.
The archeologist in charge of the dig, Anna Camats, said that the soldiers in the Soleràs mass grave had come from two military hospitals that were set up in the town during the Battle of the Ebre.
While the remains of some 35 individuals have been uncovered so far, there is more of the grave to be excavated. In fact, everything points to the grave containing as many as 100 bodies, which would make it the largest to be opened so far.