A mass burial was held on Friday to dispose the bodies of 70 inmates in the largest prison in the Philippines, weeks after their decomposing remains were found at a Manila funeral home. They were among the 176 corpses that were found by police as they looked into the death of an inmate who was suspected of having participated in the murder of a journalist in early October.

Most of the deaths were due to "natural causes", said Cecilia Villanueva, the Bureau of Corrections' acting head for health and welfare services. A Japanese national was among them. As per&nbsp;Villanueva, 127 of the 140 bodies that have been buried so far were severely decomposed and could not undergo further autopsy. After their families, the majority of whom were impoverished, failed to claim them, the bodies&nbsp;started to pile up&nbsp;in the funeral home in December 2021.

Villanueva linked&nbsp;the inability of the prison officials to ensure that the prisoners had prompt burials to "constraints." Typically, bodies are kept at the authorised funeral home&nbsp;for three months to allow for families to claim them.&nbsp;According to Villanueva, Friday's mass burial was the largest ever conducted by the Bureau of Corrections in&nbsp;Philippines.

The dysfunctional Bureau of Corrections, which handles&nbsp;the nation's overcrowded prison system, has been rocked by scandals for some time now. The shocking discovery of piled up, decomposing dead bodies&nbsp;at the funeral home was only the most recent.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A mass burial was held on Friday to dispose the bodies of 70 inmates in the largest prison in the Philippines, weeks after their decomposing remains were found at a Manila funeral home.

A mass burial was held on Friday to dispose the bodies of 70 inmates in the largest prison in the Philippines, weeks after their decomposing remains were found at a Manila funeral home. They were among the 176 corpses that were found by police as they looked into the death of an inmate who was suspected of having participated in the murder of a journalist in early October. Most of the deaths were due to "natural causes", said Cecilia Villanueva, the Bureau of Corrections' acting head for health and welfare services. A Japanese national was among them. As per Villanueva, 127 of the 140 bodies that have been buried so far were severely decomposed and could not undergo further autopsy. After their families, the majority of whom were impoverished, failed to claim them, the bodies started to pile up in the funeral home in December 2021. Villanueva linked the inability of the prison officials to ensure that the prisoners had prompt burials to "constraints." Typically, bodies are kept at the authorised funeral home for three months to allow for families to claim them. According to Villanueva, Friday's mass burial was the largest ever conducted by the Bureau of Corrections in Philippines. The dysfunctional Bureau of Corrections, which handles the nation's overcrowded prison system, has been rocked by scandals for some time now. The shocking discovery of piled up, decomposing dead bodies at the funeral home was only the most recent. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Philippines: Largest prison holds mass burial for 70 inmates after bodies were found rotting at funeral home

Mass burials took place in Kandahar a day after deadly suicide bomb attack that killed dozens of people in a Shiite mosque on Friday. The death toll reached 60 on Saturday. Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Hundreds of diggers were seen digging row after row of graves in the city.

The latest massacre came just a week after another IS-claimed attack on Shiite worshippers at a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz that killed more than 60 people.

IS-K said in a statement on its Telegram channels that two of its suicide bombers carried out different attacks on different parts of the mosque in Kandahar.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-pledge-to-step-up-security-at-shiite-mosques-after-fridays-attack-421299">Taliban pledge to step up security at Shi'ite mosques after Friday's attack</a>

The group, bitter rivals of fellow Sunni Islamist movement the Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan in August as the United States and its allies withdrew, regards Shiite Muslims as heretics.

UK-based conflict analysis firm ExTrac said Friday's assault was the first by IS-K in Kandahar, and the fourth mass casualty massacre since the Taliban took Kabul.

Researcher Abdul Sayed told AFP the attack "challenged the Taliban claims of holding control on the country. If the Taliban can't protect Kandahar from an IS-K attack, how could it protect the rest of the country?"

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/avoid-public-executions-unless-ordered-by-top-court-taliban-regime-tells-local-officials-in-afghanistan-421149">Avoid public executions unless ordered by top court, Taliban regime tells local officials in Afghanistan</a>

The killings triggered international condemnation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the "despicable attack" and demanded those using violence to restrict Afghans' religious freedom be brought to justice.

At the gravesides, mourner Gul Ahmad told AFP of his grief over his brother's slaying: "He had two little children. He had a home to live in. He had everything. The pain of the loss cannot be described with words."

The all-male crowd brought body after body, shrouded in white sheets, as a dust storm was whipped up by the constant digging.

"The world will remember this. The Islamic world will remember this barbarism, specifically the dignified people of Afghanistan," warned another mourner, Muhammad Agha.

(With inputs from agencies)

Mass burials took place in Kandahar a day after deadly suicide bomb attack that killed dozens of people in a Shiite mosque on Friday. The death toll reached 60 on Saturday.

Mass burials took place in Kandahar a day after deadly suicide bomb attack that killed dozens of people in a Shiite mosque on Friday. The death toll reached 60 on Saturday. Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) has claimed responsibility for the attack. Hundreds of diggers were seen digging row after row of graves in the city. The latest massacre came just a week after another IS-claimed attack on Shiite worshippers at a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz that killed more than 60 people. IS-K said in a statement on its Telegram channels that two of its suicide bombers carried out different attacks on different parts of the mosque in Kandahar. Also Read | Taliban pledge to step up security at Shi'ite mosques after Friday's attack The group, bitter rivals of fellow Sunni Islamist movement the Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan in August as the United States and its allies withdrew, regards Shiite Muslims as heretics. UK-based conflict analysis firm ExTrac said Friday's assault was the first by IS-K in Kandahar, and the fourth mass casualty massacre since the Taliban took Kabul. Researcher Abdul Sayed told AFP the attack "challenged the Taliban claims of holding control on the country. If the Taliban can't protect Kandahar from an IS-K attack, how could it protect the rest of the country?" Also Read | Avoid public executions unless ordered by top court, Taliban regime tells local officials in Afghanistan The killings triggered international condemnation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the "despicable attack" and demanded those using violence to restrict Afghans' religious freedom be brought to justice. At the gravesides, mourner Gul Ahmad told AFP of his grief over his brother's slaying: "He had two little children. He had a home to live in. He had everything. The pain of the loss cannot be described with words." The all-male crowd brought body after body, shrouded in white sheets, as a dust storm was whipped up by the constant digging. "The world will remember this. The Islamic world will remember this barbarism, specifically the dignified people of Afghanistan," warned another mourner, Muhammad Agha. (With inputs from agencies)

Mass funerals take place in Kandahar a day after blast at Shiite mosque

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Philippines: Largest prison holds mass burial for 70 inmates after bodies were found rotting at funeral home

Mass funerals take place in Kandahar a day after blast at Shiite mosque