London railway workers unearth 13 Black Death skeletons

on 15/03/2013 13:32:21

Workers building a new railway in London have unearthed 13 skeletons thought to be victims of the Black Death plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century.

Archaeologists believe the site could be the location of a plague cemetery, where up to 50,000 victims of the Black Death were buried.

The plague wiped out a third of Europe's population between 1348 and 1353.

Scientists are hoping to use the skeletons to map the DNA signature of the plague, in research they hope could help combat modern diseases.