Dozens of baby remains uncovered at former Irish mother-and-baby home PHOTO

Specialists carrying out excavations at the site of a former mother-and-baby home in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland, have discovered the remains of 22 more infants, the BBC reports.

The remains of 22 children were recovered during the first six months of this year, bringing the total number of exhumed bodies to 99. The latest update covers around six weeks of excavations until July 15, a year after the work began.

The newly discovered remains were found in coffins in the southwestern section of the former institution’s grounds, an area identified as a cemetery in historical records.

All recovered remains have been transferred to a specialised laboratory and a mortuary facility in Toghermore, where experts are conducting cleaning, radiochemical analysis, 3D scanning and DNA testing to determine the children’s age, sex and, where possible, their identities.

The scandal surrounding the facility, which was run by the Bon Secours Sisters order from 1925 to 1961, emerged in 2014. At the time, local historian Catherine Corless discovered that archival records contained information on the deaths of 796 infants, while no official burial records for them could be found.

The main phase of excavations is expected to continue until 2027. Researchers then plan to begin work in the area of the memorial garden, where, according to available information, tanks containing mass burials of children may be located.

By Jeyhun Aghazada