The Cowessess First Nation announced Thursday searchers had found the unmarked graves of 751 people at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School.

Cowessess Chief Cadmus Delorme and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron made the announcement during a media conference.

Delorme said the First Nation couldn’t confirm that all of the graves contained the remains of children.

The search using ground-penetrating radar began on June 2. It’s believed to be the largest number of unmarked graves ever found at the former site of a residential school in Canada.

In a media advisory Wednesday, the FSIN had called the discovery “horrific and shocking.”

The former Marieval Indian Residential School is located about 25 kilometers north of Broadview. The school operated from 1898 to 1996.

The announcement comes about a month after the discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

The remains of more than 100 children have also been located on the grounds of the Brandon Indian Residential School in Manitoba.

In 2018, 35 unmarked graves were found on the grounds of the former Muskowekwan school in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan government is contributing $2 million to the FSIN’s search for unmarked graves in the province. The federal government is giving the FSIN $4.88 million for the search.

The City of Moose Jaw released the following statement in regards to Thursday's announcement:

The City of Moose Jaw is saddened by the discovery of unmarked graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School and mourns with Cowessess First Nation.

The City will continue to keep our flags lowered and clock tower lights orange in support of Cowessess First Nation, the entire Canadian Indigenous community and all impacted by this tragic discovery.

The City of Moose Jaw rests on Treaty 4 Territory, and residents are encouraged to move forward with open hearts and minds to understand the Truth of the past and work towards Reconciliation.

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society support line is: 1-(800)-721-0066. For 24-hour crisis support, call: 1-(866)-925-4419.

- With files from CJME