Myanmar authorities uncover 17 more bodies in Hindu mass grave

Myanmar authorities on Tuesday said 17 more bodies of Hindus, allegedly slaughtered by Rohingya militants, have been uncovered in a mass grave in conflict-ridden Northern Rakhine state.

“The discovery was announced on Monday on government-run social media accounts, a day after 28 Hindus, including several children, were recovered from another mass grave.

“Both groups of people were killed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA),’’ authorities said.

Report says the claims cannot be independently verified because Myanmar’s army continues to block independent access to the conflict area.

However, there were competing allegations about responsibility for the attacks on the Hindus.

ARSA, which claims it does not attack civilians, launched deadly assaults on more than a dozen police posts on Aug. 25, ushering in a massive army crackdown.

Some 430,000 Rohingya have since fled to Bangladesh, bringing with them stories of atrocities at the hands of Myanmar’s soldiers.

Some Hindus who also fled, however, have blamed ARSA militants for killings.