Mass grave discovered by Pennsylvania construction workers

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, PA -- Construction work in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania might be delayed after workers discovered a mass grave while trying to dig up some dirt.

According to WNEP, this specific piece of land, purchased by Joan Bachman and her husband in 1997, is rumored to had been a cemetery in the past.

"They told us it possibly could have been a burial ground from many, many years ago, 100 years ago, so evidently it is," said Bachman.

Historians believe the remains belong to people who died from the 1918 Spanish influenza. Records show the deadly illness hit Schuylkill County hard, killing almost 1,600 people in about a month.

Many people were dying so fast, historians say it wasn't uncommon for people to be buried in a field with no markers.

The bones will be tested to determine if there is any matching DNA.

"There are bones in there, you can see a tibia, femur, a jaw bone and stuff like that," said Schuylkill County deputy coroner Joseph Pothering.

Test results could take weeks, but after they come back, Schuylkill County officials will hold a proper burial for the remains discovered.