Workers and recovery teams have discovered a total of 462 fetal remains at a road-widening project in Hoa Lu Ward, Ninh Binh Province, after a 10-day search operation.
A representative of the contractor for the Tay Thanh Road expansion project told Dantri/Dtinews on June 18 that recovery work had been temporarily suspended so the remains could be transferred to a cemetery for burial.
More than 300 sets of remains were recovered during the second phase of the operation. Combined with over 150 previously buried in an earlier phase, the total number found at the site has reached 462.
Hundreds of fetal remains were found after 10 days of searching (Photo: Thanh Binh).
The remains were discovered within the grounds of the former Ninh Binh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, where the road expansion project is being carried out.
According to recovery teams, the remains were found scattered near tree roots, along walls and beneath shallow layers of soil. Most had been carefully wrapped in cloth, towels or fabric and enclosed in plastic bags.
Construction workers first noticed small wrapped bundles around trees and walls shortly after work began on the project. As the search expanded, many more packages containing fetal remains were uncovered.
Recovery personnel said most of the remains had decomposed over time, leaving only burial items and fragments preserved inside the deteriorated wrappings.
Additional bundles were later found buried at depths of around 20 centimetres beneath the surface, concealed by soil, sand and tree roots. Search teams carried out excavations by hand to avoid damaging the remains.
Residents prepare offerings and prayers for the unborn children (Photo: Hoa Lu Ward).
After recovery, the remains were carefully rewrapped in burial cloths and placed in ceramic burial containers together with associated funerary items, in accordance with local customs.
Because the identities and genders of the fetuses could not be determined, funeral rites were conducted collectively following local traditions.
A local resident said the area where the remains were found was once part of the former hospital complex and was located near the mortuary and funeral facilities.
The site had been abandoned for many years, becoming heavily overgrown and rarely visited.
The resident said the remains had been found wrapped in plastic bags and fabric and scattered around secluded corners of the property.
"It is possible that some were left there years ago after abortions performed at the hospital or nearby clinics," the resident said.
Workers dig by hand for fetal remains at the base of a tree (Photo: Thai Ba).
Authorities have not announced any official conclusions regarding the origin of the remains, and further inquiries are expected.