More than 19 mass graves containing remains of more than 5,000 people killed during the liberation warhave been found in Zimbabwe's northern Mount Darwin district, official media the New Ziana reported Wednesday.

The victims were mainly civilians killed in revenge attacks by colonial soldiers during the country's war of independence in the 1960s and 1970s.

Officials in Mount Darwin said the first mass grave, containingmore than 20 bodies, was identified at Chibondo 1 Village last September by small-scale miners working in a disused mine.

Subsequently, more mass graves, containing up to 600 bodies each, were found in the district, where some of the fiercest battles were fought during the liberation war in the southern African country.

"This is real. With the help of the people possessed by the spirits of the fallen heroes, we have identified nearly 5,000 human remains, which include those of our liberation heroes," saidAssistant Commissioner of the police Winston Changara, who is in charge of the search for mass graves in Mount Darwin.

More mass graves are scattered throughout the country, and in neighboring countries, containing some of the estimated 50,000 people who died in the war.

The government has started a program to identify and dig up some of the mass graves to give the victims decent burials.

Source: Xinhua