Recent earthquakes in the Famagusta area appear to have exposed human remains near the harbour, raising the possibility that they belong to Greek Cypriot missing persons from the 1974 Turkish invasion.
The discovery was made late yesterday (2/12) during construction work in the occupied areas, when fissures caused by earthquake damage revealed bones, according to Leonidas Pantelides, the Greek Cypriot representative on the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP).
Police in the occupied areas initially responded to the scene, before a CMP team arrived today to assess the site. Investigators are now examining the remains to determine whether they belong to missing persons from 1974 or from an earlier historical period.
The bones were found near the roundabout at Famagusta harbour, an area previously searched without results. While this history raises the likelihood that the remains could be linked to Famagusta missing persons remains, Pantelides stressed that no conclusions can be drawn until the specialised team completes its work.
Famagusta holds particular significance in missing persons cases. During the invasion, the town served as a key escape route for soldiers and civilians fleeing from Kyrenia and villages across the Pentadaktylos range, he noted.
Meanwhile, CMP teams are carrying out separate excavations in Strovolos, along the Pedieos River, where three wells are being examined for the possible remains of Turkish Cypriot missing persons from the 1963–64 intercommunal violence.
The wider area has produced findings before. Seven Turkish Cypriot missing persons were discovered near the Cineplex cinema, based on information from residents who recalled strange noises at night. Those remains are believed to relate to the December 1963 events in Omorphita, when Turkish Cypriots were killed or expelled from the predominantly Turkish Cypriot suburb during the “Bloody Christmas” crisis.
According to figures from the Republic of Cyprus, the intercommunal violence of 1963–64 resulted in 191 Turkish Cypriots killed and 173 missing, while 133 Greek Cypriots were killed and 41 went missing. The search for answers remains central to both communities, and the investigation into the missing persons remains found in Famagusta continues.
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