The skeletons of at least 26 Japanese WWII soldiers were washed ashore in the Pacific, when the increasing water level “exhumed” them from the graves in which they were buried.

According to local officials, the territory of the islands is located just two meters above sea level, hence the rise in the water level affected the soldiers’ graves.

“There are coffins and dead people who have been washed up. This is a serious situation”, stated the Foreign Minister of the Marshall Islands, Tony de Brahm.
“Even the dead are affected by climated change”, stated the minister, adding that the soldiers probably belong to Japanese soldiers.

At the same time, even unexploded ordnance and other military equipment have been identified in recent months, while scientists are expressing concern as the sea level has risen by about 19 centimeters in the last years, due to icecaps melting.