Britain to honor WWI dead soldiers identified by DNA technology

LONDON (Xinhua) - Britain has identified the remains of 10 soldiers killed during WWI after DNA analysis of their surviving relatives' samples, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced Saturday.

The soldiers, whose remains were discovered during construction work in France five years ago, once served with the York and Lancaster Regiment and were killed in a battle on Oct. 18, 1914, the MoD said.

The ministry has decided to rebury the soldiers with full military honors at a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in October.

"Although these soldiers fell almost a century ago, the Ministry of Defense still takes its responsibility extremely seriously to identify any remains found, trace and inform surviving relatives, and to provide a fitting and dignified funeral so they rest in peace," British defense minister John Astor said in a statement.

The discovery will allow the surviving relatives of the soldiers to see their forefathers "laid to rest" 100 years on from the outbreak of the war, according to the MoD.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. Britain has initiated a cross-government effort to commemorate the significant event in world history.