American Experts Arrive in Cyprus to Search for Missing Persons

Next week, American specialists will arrive in Cyprus to aid in the search for individuals who went missing during conflicts on the island five decades ago. The research is set to take place at four locations: one in the Republic of Cyprus and three in the TRNC.

Two experts from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, along with their support team, will conduct their investigations using advanced methods that may help locate remains of those missing.

The team will be in Cyprus from November 4 to 8, utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to detect soil disturbances. ERT technology, in particular, involves passing a low-level electric current through the ground to uncover irregularities.

In the Republic of Cyprus, the team will focus on an area between Aglantzia and Geri, near a university campus, aiming to identify a possible burial site of two individuals who went missing in 1964.

On the northern side of the island, the experts will visit Trachonas (Kızılbaş), a suburb of Nicosia believed to contain a mass grave, as well as Agia Irini (Akdeniz) in Kyrenia, where two people are suspected to have been buried since 1974. The team will also investigate another mass grave in Assia (Paşaköy), believed to contain remains from 1974.

If soil disturbances consistent with burial sites are detected, archaeologists will commence excavations in search of remains.

This visit follows a similar mission in September last year by the same university’s specialists. During that visit, investigations were carried out at a total of four sites across both the northern and southern parts of Cyprus.