Panamanian authorities have discovered in a mass grave dozens of victims of the 1989 US invasion to depose former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, the public prosecutor's office said Thursday.

"So far 70 bodies have been found," the office said in a statement.

Authorities began exhuming a mass grave at a Panama City cemetery in January following the reopening of 14 inconclusive investigations into civilian deaths during the invasion.

The aim is to identify the remains and the causes of their deaths.

Work was suspended due to government measures taken to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but restarted this week.

Sixteen exhumed bodies were taken to Panama's forensic science institute for analysis.

"The digging is continuing while respecting the biosecurity protocols for this type of work," the statement added.

In December 1989, 27,000 US soldiers invaded Panama to depose Noriega, a former Washington ally who was wanted by a Miami court to face accusations of drug trafficking.

Officially 500 people died but some rights organizations claim the true figure was in the thousands.

In 2016, under then-president Juan Carlos Varela, Panama created a commission to count and identify those who died during the invasion.

Noriega, who ruled 1983-89, surrendered in January 1990 and was jailed for drug-trafficking and the disappearance of opponents in the United States, France and Panama.

After prison stints abroad he died Panama in 2017.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2018 found the United States guilty of "human rights violations" and ordered it to "provide full reparation."

Victims have demanded that the US, which committed to cooperating with the investigations, recognize the invasion, compensate the country and provide information about mass graves.

President Laurentino Cortizo said last year that Panama would look into asking Washington for reparations, while recognizing that the two countries have a "fluid" relationship.

The United States is Panama's main trade and diplomatic partner.