U.N. seeks full probe into death of Indigenous students at residential schools

The United Nations Human Rights Office is calling on all levels of Canadian governments to investigate the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools and to intensity efforts to find those who are missing.

A spokeswoman for the human rights office says the detection of what are believed to be 215 bodies of Indigenous children at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., is ``shocking and reopens painful wounds.''

Marta Hurtado says Canada must ensure ``prompt and exhaustive investigations'' into the deaths and search any unmarked graves.

She says healing will only be possible once families and Indigenous communities are given access to documents about missing or dead family members and the remains are properly identified.

Hurtado says appropriate compensation, official apologies, memorials and rehabilitative services should also be considered, calling those measures ``cornerstones for reconciliation.''

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said it is the ``fault of Canada'' that children who died during forced attendance at residential schools are not the parents, grandparents, elders and community leaders they should have become.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett outlined today how 27-million-dollars will be made available to uncover unmarked graves at former residential schools across the country.