Photo of Bergen-Belsen Liberation

On April 15, 1945, British and Canadian forces liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Upon arrival, they found 60,000 starving and dangerously ill prisoners, who had been living in terrible conditions. The prisoners did not have food, water or basic sanitation. An operation was immediately organized to respond to the crisis. Despite this, almost 14,000 former prisoners died from disease and starvation following liberation. In total, an estimated 50,000 people died in Bergen-Belsen during the Holocaust.