Excavations in northern Cyprus search for Greek Cypriot civilians missing since 1974

Cypriot authorities are excavating suspected mass graves in occupied northern Cyprus in a search for the remains of Greek Cypriot civilians who disappeared in 1974, with archaeologists working at two sites where Turkish forces allegedly buried victims during the island's division.

The Cyprus Missing Persons Committee is conducting excavations in Galatea, Famagusta province, seeking remains of a person from Yialousa who disappeared on 3 October 1974. A second team is working in nearby Eptakomi, searching for remains in a well.

Archaeologist Haralambos Siafkou said previous excavations in 2006 and 2015 recovered bones from 18 individuals at the Galatea lake site. Turkish Cypriot informants told investigators that perpetrators used machinery to bury bodies in the dried lakebed in 1974.

"All the missing persons we are looking for here were civilians. We know they were snatched from their villages, and this is the burial site," Siafkou said.

Up to eight other missing persons may be buried in the area, according to testimonies indicating Galatea became a prisoner-of-war camp where Turkish soldiers and Turkish Cypriot gunmen transported male villagers from surrounding areas.

At least five additional excavation efforts have been conducted without findings since the initial recoveries. The current excavation began days ago with teams racing against winter rains that fill the lake.

Turkish Cypriot archaeologist Ali Gulluoglu, who has been working at the site since 2009, said that teams are completing the excavation of the entire area to ensure nothing is overlooked. The area has remained largely unchanged since 1974, which is helpful for identification efforts.

"I want to tell the Cypriots to give us more information. If they have heard anything, not to be afraid, come to our offices," Gulluoglu said, appealing for witness accounts.

Galatea was a purely Turkish Cypriot village with 1,184 inhabitants in 1973. Turkey renamed it Mehmetçik after occupying the area during the 1974 invasion. Greek Cypriot civilians from surrounding villages were allegedly murdered and buried in the lake area.

The bicommunal committee continues searching for approximately 2,000 people still missing from the 1974 conflict that divided Cyprus into Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones.