(CNN)Hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Canada, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said Wednesday.
The Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan will host a news conference Thursday to announce the “horrific and shocking discovery” of the graves, the FSIN said in a statement.
“The number of unmarked graves will be the most significantly substantial to date in Canada,” the statement said.
The discovery comes after the remains of 215 children were found in late May buried near the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada. Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors in Canada have called on officials to conduct a thorough investigation of every former residential school in the country after the remains of the children were found.
Meanwhile, local leaders in Saskatchewan are contacting survivors and families to inform them of the remains, FSIN said.
“The first priority is the health, healing and wellness of the survivors and their families, as well as the community of Cowessess First Nation,” said Larissa Burnouf with FSIN Communications.
Photos and videos of the site are expected to be provided Thursday during the news conference.
The Cowessess Nation is located near the community of Broadview, about 95 miles from the provincial capital of Regina.
