Manila: Nearly 12 years after Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) devastated this city, families gathered at a mass grave site to honor their loved ones by placing flowers and lighting candles, though many remain uncertain of the precise locations of their relatives’ final resting places.

According to Philippines News Agency, John Ray Dumilon, 27, visited on Thursday to clear weeds from a spot traditionally honored for his uncle, Oscar Nerja, who was lost to the deadly waves. Dumilon shared, “This is not the exact place where my uncle was buried, but my grandma told us to offer flowers and light candles at this cross,” reflecting on his uncle’s support for his education.

Nearby, Kelvin Palma, 34, came to remember his three-year-old son, Kent, who perished in the same catastrophe. Palma, who now resides in Cebu, expressed, “I work and live in Cebu now, but I visit this mass grave every Undas to remember my kid. I’m not sure of the exact spot where he was buried, but I always come to this spot to show that I love him.”

These individuals are among the 2,273 bodies interred at the mass grave in Tacloban, the epicenter of Yolanda’s destruction in 2013. The site is marked by white crosses and some tombstones, with many families choosing a cross to inscribe their relatives’ names.

In an effort to memorialize the victims, the city government erected a large cross at the mass grave, along with engraved names of the deceased. Faced with a dire situation of bodies lining the streets and destroyed funeral facilities, the local government opted to bury the dead collectively at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Basper village, which became the region’s largest Yolanda mass grave following the November 8, 2013 disaster.

In preparation for the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days observance, and Yolanda’s impending 12th anniversary, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has been repainting the white crosses since last week.