260 bodies found buried underneath Manchester tram line

We’ve all heard of graveyard shifts, but for conductors of Manchester’s sprawling tram network right now, these are a permanent fixture.

The remains of at least 277 people have just been discovered by construction workers digging into the ground for Metrolink’s Second City Crossing expansion, roughly double the amount experts had predicted to be found in a mass burial site in 2014.

Speaking of the find on Cross Street, Pat Karney, the city council’s spokesperson, told the Manchester Evening News:

“The fact that twice the number of bodies had to be taken out just shows how historically important it is – as well as explaining the complications of putting a new tram line into the city centre."

While archaeologists are still to verify the exact number of bodies, the skeletal remains are believed to date back from the 18th century. City workers and tarots alike will be glad to know the dig is now complete, with the re-burial of the remains scheduled to take place later next year.

Could it be coincidence that The Muppets went to Manchester’s Arndale Centre in the same week a mass grave was found buried underneath one of the city’s biggest transport hubs?

Who knows.