Scientists are hoping to solve the mystery of 163 mummified child corpses "superbly" preserved in a network of Italian catacombs.
The bodies are contained in a "child chapel" in northern Sicily with the children believed to have died between 1787 and 1880 - however, their identities and cause of death remain unknown.
Many look as though they are asleep. The remains are located in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, which also house the mummified bodies and skeletons of more over 1,000 adults, the Mirror reports.
Now, a British-led team are hoping to find out more about the children's fate.The two year study will involve 41 of the bodies being X-rayed, with researchers looking to finally uncover how they came to perish.
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