19 Apr 2017

Eight Egyptian mummies unearthed in tomb

12:26 pm on 19 April 2017

Eight mummies, colourful coffins and more than 1000 funerary statues have been found at a tomb near the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in Egypt.

Members of an Egyptian archaeological team work on a wooden coffin discovered in a 3,500-year-old tomb in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis, near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor,

Members of the archaeological team work on the wooden coffin. Photo: AFP

The artefacts, thought to be at least 3000 years old, were discovered in the tomb in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis nearby.

It belonged to a nobleman who worked as a judge.

"It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside", Egypt's antiquities minister Khaled el-Enany said.

The sculptures which were found with mummies and sarcophagus inside a grave, which is estimated about more than 3500 years old, during archaeological works at Dra' Abu el-Naga' region, are on display in Luxor, Egypt on April 18, 2017.

Statues found with the mummies. Photo: AFP

Spokeswoman Nevine el-Aref said there was "evidence and traces that new mummies could be discovered in the future".

The coffins were well-preserved, painted in red, blue, black, green, and yellow.

The statues found among the relics were traditionally placed alongside the dead to help them in the afterlife.

A statement released by the ministry said the tomb was T-shaped, with "an open court leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and an inner chamber".

The statues were found inside a 9m shaft. Another room that was found has not been excavated yet.

-BBC