cyprus search — cyprus search — The search for missing persons in Cyprus is intensifying as the Committee for Missing Persons (CMP) focuses on the village of Galatia, where reports suggest the remains of up to ten individuals may lie buried.
- The CMP is also investigating the fate of two Turkish Cypriots believed to have been executed by the Turkish Cypriot paramilitary group TMT, whose remains might also be interred in the area.
Galatia, located in the Karpasia region and previously used as an army camp by the Turkish military in 1974, has become a site of renewed hope for families seeking closure. Archaeologist Charalambos Siafkou, involved in the excavations, explained, “All the missing persons we are looking for here were civilians. We know that they were abducted from their villages, and this could be the burial site.”
Investigations are concentrated around a lake in the village, which was empty during the summer of 1974. A local informant revealed that a machine was used to bury victims at that time, raising the stakes for the ongoing search.
CMP officials, including Ali Gulluoglu and Cinar Ilaral, have been excavating near a small house dating back to 1974, considered a reference point for their efforts. Previous digs in the area have yielded the remains of 18 Greek Cypriots, identified in excavations conducted in 2006 and 2015. The team is now driven by new information suggesting that as many as eight more individuals may be entombed within the vicinity.
Before the events of 1974, Galatia was home to 1,184 Turkish Cypriots, according to the 1973 census. Following intercommunal violence in 1963, many Turkish Cypriots retreated to enclaves, including Galatia. During the Turkish invasion in 1974, documented accounts indicate that Greek Cypriots from neighbouring villages were taken to Galatia and killed, with witness testimonies suggesting that their bodies were hastily buried in the lake.
The CMP is also investigating the fate of two Turkish Cypriots believed to have been executed by the Turkish Cypriot paramilitary group TMT, whose remains might also be interred in the area.
In addition to the work at Galatia, another team is exploring the nearby village of Eptakomi, searching for a missing person believed to be buried in a well. The lack of development in the area due to the lake’s morphology is seen as advantageous for the CMP, although the vastness of the search area complicates their efforts.
The CMP was established in 1981 through an agreement between the two leaders to exhume and identify the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who went missing during the intercommunal conflict of 1963-1964 and in 1974. By late 2024, the CMP has successfully identified and returned the remains of 1,051 individuals to their families.
Emphasising the importance of information in their work, Siafkou remarked, “Even the smallest piece of information is important. We work based on the information and maps, and other means at our disposal, but anything that comes to us is significant.”
Gulluoglu, who has been with the CMP since 2009, noted that previous excavations at a specific point near the lake had yielded no results, prompting the team to shift their focus. “We are trying to complete the excavation of the entire area, so there is nothing left behind. We know, based on information, that we have more missing people in the area, and that is why we are continuing,” he stated.
The ongoing work is also time-sensitive, with the team racing against the impending rainy season that could hinder their progress. Gulluoglu has issued a call for public assistance, urging Cypriots to come forward with any information they may have. “If they have learned something, if they have heard, they should not be afraid; they can come to our offices, call us. We want them to give more information so that we can find the rest of our missing people,” he said.
