The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) has identified 52 per cent of the remains of those missing, Turkish Cypriot member of the committee Hakki Muftuzade said on Tuesday.

Turkish Cypriot news outlet Bağımsız quoted Muftuzade saying that of the 2,002 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots listed as missing, 1,051 have been identified. Of these, 756 are Greek Cypriots and 295 are Turkish Cypriots.

“The fate of 754 Greek Cypriots and 197 Turkish Cypriots remains unknown,” Muftuzade added.

He also said that, in order to address the challenges posed by the passage of time, the lack of witnesses, and restricted access to certain areas, the CMP is investing in modern technologies.

“X-ray devices and ground-penetrating DNA detection tools are now being used in the search efforts, improving the chances of locating the missing,” he said.

Muftuzade then called on anyone with information about the missing to share it with the committee, assuring them of complete confidentiality.

He stressed that “even seemingly insignificant information could be crucial in resolving a humanitarian issue that has marked Cyprus for decades”.