As permafrost thaws, village cemeteries sink into swamp

As the permafrost thaws, Kongiganak’s cemetery is turning into swampland. Community members are now laying their loved ones to rest on raised platforms above ground. (Photo Teresa Cotsirilos/KYUK)
On a crisp day in September, the village of Kongiganak, or Kong, filed into a little white church and laid Maggie Mary Otto to rest.
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/kyuk/audio/2017/10/170928_kong_graveyard_pkg_final.mp3The service was crowded. An elder and de facto marriage counselor, Otto was beloved.
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