A horrific sight was witnessed after Ukraine’s forces took control of a key town from Russia. In Bucha – a commuter town northwest of capital Kyiv – corpses were found scattered on the streets, its mayor said Saturday.

“In Bucha, we have already buried 280 people in mass graves,” Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told AFP by phone, adding that the destroyed town’s streets are littered with corpses.

At least 20 bodies in civilian clothes were found in one residential street. The corpses of the men were scattered over an area of several hundred yards.

Also Read | US to help transfer Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine ‘within days’: Report

Graphic videos and photos of that street and others in the community were shared on social media. People expressed their horror at the sights, reminding everyone about the brutal bloodbath that continues in Ukraine since more than a month.

Thousands have died and millions displaced after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

According to the New York Post, one of the images shares online showed a man’s body with his hands tied behind his back. The image also showed an open Ukrainian passport lying on the ground beside him. Another person had a gaping head wound.

Also Read | ‘Liberated from the invader’: Ukraine takes Kyiv region from Russia

Two dead bodies were found near bicycles and a third was next to an abandoned car. 

The causes of death of the people remain unknown. However, AFP reported that the condition of the corpses suggest the people died several days ago.

Ukrainian forces took back Bucha on Friday, Fedoruk said in a video that appeared to be filmed outside the town hall.

The takeover came just days after Ukraine began gaining control around Kyiv. In the north, Russian forces withdrew after efforts to encircle the capital failed.