Remains thought to belong to 4 Turkish Cypriots who went missing in 1964 were found during excavation work carried out in the village of Troulloi (Trulli) in Larnaca.

Speaking to the BRT on the issue, the Turkish Cypriot Member of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) Hakkı Müftüzade said that the identification process can take 5 to 6 months.

“DNA tests of these remains will be done and then their identities will be determined. First, we send the samples to the laboratory, which is in the buffer zone and then to a laboratory in the US. Almost 99.9 percent results are obtained. Hopefully we’ll find out soon. We hope that after a 5-6 month process, identification will be made” Müftüzade said.

The Committee started excavations in the village of Troulloi (Trulli) in August upon receiving information that there may be remains of missing persons in a well.

The area was first excavated with construction equipment resulting in the discovery of remains.

Müftüzade said that they started digging by hand in order not to damage the remains.

“The Committee on Missing Persons has a bi-communal character. In fact, it attained this identity in 2006. We are working under the responsibility of the United Nations. There is a Turkish Cypriot member, a Greek Cypriot member and a third member appointed by the UN Secretary General. All decisions are taken together. Work is conducted in a bi-communal way” Müftüzade explained.

As a result of the excavation works, a total of 1 thousand and 27 Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot missing persons have been reached and identified so far.

The Turkish Cypriot Member of the CMP Hakkı Müftüzade also shared information about the work being carried out and identification studies.

He said that the number of Turkish Cypriot missing persons was 492 of which 292 had been identified.

“The number of missing Greek Cypriots is 1,510 of which 735 have been identified. In total, one thousand and 27 missing Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have been identified. This is over 50 percent” Müftüzade added.

He also said that four remains were found in Dilekkaya, one in Gazimağusa, two in Paşaköy, one in Güzelyurt, one in Yeniceköy, one in Esentepe, one in İmiya, and four in Trulli in 2022.