In Petropavlovsk, construction workers digging a foundation pit for an inclusive sports center stumbled upon 19th-century burials, the website infohub.kz reports.
The workers found coffins in the ground that, it turned out, had been there since the 19th century.
"There are even pre-revolutionary burials here, with later ones on top. So finds do turn up—coins. Yesterday, for example, a coin came out—a Nicholas-era one-kopeck piece. These later burials were made when there was no space left. That is, there are a lot of children, and the children are lying in no particular order," said volunteer Oleg Antonov.
After the remains were discovered, volunteers organized excavations at the site.
The graves found are being carefully cleared, the remains collected and handed over to police for examination. According to the volunteers' count, the number of deceased exhumed already runs into the dozens. In the burials, arranged in rows, family graves are often found. They noted that identifying the names of the dead is no longer possible.
It is known that the cemetery was in use in the late 19th century. For more than half a century, this area has been an ordinary, densely built-up neighborhood of the city. However, a memorial park serves as a reminder of its ritual past.
"The contractor of the housing and utilities department of the akimat is handling the reburial. A site for reburial has been designated at the cemetery in Rabochy Poselok. All necessary procedures are being carried out in accordance with the established order," commented Timur Zhumanov, press secretary of the akim of Petropavlovsk.