Grave markers at the Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Maryland were damaged this week, according to The Washington Post. Authorities told the news source that a cemetery employee unintentionally "drove a backhoe over the saturated ground," moving several headstones and defacing the cemetery lawn, which is operated by the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs.
"This is a regretful situation," said Maryland Secretary of Veteran Affairs Edward Chow. "I am deeply sorry for the events which occurred. … Every effort will be made to guarantee the dignity and respect of our cemeteries."
According to the news outlet, the incident may have been caused by a recent winter storm that brought more than an inch of rain to the Washington, D.C. area. Cemetery workers have already cleaned and repaired the grave markers, and are working to restore the grounds, which are the final resting place for more than 21,000 Maryland veterans and their relatives.
However, ABC7 reported that family members who visited the burial site this week are outraged. Many of them took to Facebook to post images of the damage. The photos quickly went viral, provoking other worried relatives to visit the cemetery to see if the graves of their loved ones were damaged, FOX5 News added.