The bodies of 70 inmates from the Philippines' largest prison were laid to rest Friday in a mass burial after their bodies were left unclaimed for months.

They were among 176 corpses found by police in October during an investigation into the death of an inmate accused of being involved in the killing of a journalist. The bodies began piling up in the funeral home in December 2021 after their families did not claim them. Most of the deaths were due to "natural causes", a prison official said.