The bodies of 21 Egyptian Christians including a Ghanaian killed by Islamic State in 2015 in Libya have been uncovered and returned to Egypt.

Members of IS beheaded the Christians in its former Libyan stronghold of Sirte.

The bodies were recovered in October after the area where they were buried was recaptured from the jihadist group, according to Reuters.

The Coptic Christians were beheaded on a beach in February 2015 wearing orange jumpsuits, according to a video posted by Islamic State.

Their bodies will be flown from the western city of Misrata to Egypt, a Libyan official said.

Islamic State took control of Sirte in 2015 and lost the city late last year to local forces backed by U.S. air strikes.