Kuzbass deputy governor explains forest burials at internment

A forest belt near the Prokopyevsk internment, where NGS42.RU correspondents found burials of deceased residents, has been used as a cemetery since the 1970s. The area is not fenced, Deputy Governor of Kuzbass for Social Development Elena Voronina told the publication«s correspondents.

According to Voronina, during Soviet times the internment had a large farm, various buildings, and houses for workers, and in those years part of the territory near the boarding house was allocated for burials. She noted that the institution had raised the issue of fencing the area where people are buried, but it has not been finally resolved.

«Both residents and deceased staff of the institution could be buried there. In summer, the graves are looked after,» the deputy governor said.

She added that a specialized agency handles the funerals, and if a resident had relatives, they can order additional services at an agreed price: installing a fence, a tombstone, and so on.

The NGS42.RU editorial office published footage from the site of the internment patients« burial in the forest belt, while the cemetery is not marked on online maps and local residents did not know of its existence.

Earlier we reported that residents of the institution, including bedridden ones, were possibly kept in the cold for several months, which could have affected the incidence of illness in the institution, and more than 60 people had to be hospitalized.

All materials about the emergency at the internment are collected in a special report.