Drone footage has emerged of workers in hazmat suits burying the coffins of coronavirus victims in a mass grave in New York City. Workers can be seen using a ladder to descend into a huge pit where the caskets were stacked.

The images were taken at Hart Island, off the Bronx. The island has apparently been used for more than 150 years by city officials as a mass burial site. However, those normally buried there are with no next-of-kin, or from families who cannot afford burials.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “Obviously the place we have used historically is Hart Island.”

The State of New York’s Department of Corrections said burial operations at the site have increased from one day a week to five days a week.

New York state has over 160,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is more than any country across the globe.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said more than 7,000 people in his state have been killed by COVID-19.

The US has over 454,000 of confirmed coronavirus cases. This is the largest number in the world. Over 16,000 people across the US have been killed by the pandemic. Over 1.58 million people have been diagnosed with coronavirus, globally, with almost 95 000 dead.

Umm Muhammed Umar