The remains of four missing persons, believed to belong to Greek Cypriots, have been found north of lake Galateia in the northern Turkish occupied are of Karpas peninsula.

The Greek Cypriot member of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) Nestoras Nestoros has told CNA that this number may increase. He also pointed out that this result was achieved through the cooperation of his office with the office of the Turkish Cypriot representative to the CMP, Gülden Plumer Kücük.

Nestoros explained that there were excavations in the past in that area and they had found bones, but now they had information about burial sites elsewhere. “Applying this information jointly and using new modern technology we had a successful outcome,” he added.

The excavations will continue in this location from the CMP team, expanding the excavation site and starting the exhumation since the area where the remains were found has already been defined.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. A Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) was established, upon agreement between the leaders of the island’s two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning the remains of missing persons to their relatives. So far 750 missing persons from both communities have been identified and returned to the families for a dignified burial.