A forensic team has begun excavating the site of a former “mother and baby home” in Tuam, Ireland, where nearly 800 babies and children are believed to be buried.

The institution, run by the Catholic Bon Secours nuns, operated from 1925 to 1961 and housed unmarried pregnant women and their children.

Historian Catherine Corless uncovered the names of 798 children who died there, many of whom are believed to be buried in a disused septic tank.

Only two were given proper burials. Excavation crews sealed off the site on June 16, with digging set to begin soon.

The 2021 Irish government inquiry revealed about 9,000 children died in 18 similar institutions. Corless, whose research exposed the Tuam scandal in 2014, said she feels relieved that the investigation is finally moving forward.

The Bon Secours order has issued a formal apology, but Corless says she still struggles to understand how such cruelty toward vulnerable children was allowed to happen.