Around 70 clandestine burial pits were found in the premises of Humera airport in the Tigray region, Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) said on Sunday.

The grave where the bodies were buried was found in the southern part of the airport’s premises dense with grass, according to EBC.

An unamed official in military uniform called it “a sad and terrible discovery.” He added that new bodies were being discovered every day, and that work would continue.

The official inidcated that crimes had been committed by forces close the Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) against people who opposed the unlawaful occupation of the area by TPLF. Humera, located in the far northwest of the country, were taken out of Gondar’s control by the TPLF in 1992, according to those who long contested the move.

The federal army, battling forces loyal to the TPLF, liberated Humera on November 12 after heavy clashes in the first days of the conflict.