Egypt mummies: New tombs found in Minya

Fifty mummies dating back to the Ptolemaic era (305-30BC) have been found by Egyptian archaeologists, the antiquities ministry says.

The mummies, of which 12 were children, were found in four burial chambers 9m (30ft) deep in the Tuna El-Gebel site in Minya, south of the capital Cairo.

Some were wrapped in linen, others were in stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi.

Their identities were unknown, officials said, but they were likely to have held important positions.

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The Tuna El-Gebel site is in Minya, to the south of Cairo

Fragments of sarcophagi were on some of the mummies

Among the discoveries was this partially uncovered skull wrapped in linen

Children were among the mummies found

Some of the mummies were in stone coffins

Egypt's antiquities minister said the newly discovered tombs may have been a familial grave for a well-off middle class family