The remains of 600 Ukrainians who died of starvation or were shot during the country's 1946-47 famine are to be buried next Saturday in Lviv, western Ukraine, the town's mayor Andry Sadovy said.

Evguen Gryniv, an official with the Memorial rights group responsible for identifying the victims, said the bodies had been discovered in a mass grave.

"We found the bodies of 602 people, including 114 children and teenagers," he said.

"Some had been shot in the head. According to testimony from local residents, victims were brought in by truck and buried in special pits. Those who were still alive were shot on the spot," he added. Historians say some 300,000 people fled Ukraine to escape the famine.

Ukraine, a former Soviet state, was struck by a severe famine, known as The Great Famine, in 1932-33 when millions of people died.