The father of two young boys who were found dead inside a car in the Dhekelia British bases area is due to appear before a court on the bases on Thursday, as the man’s partner was released unconditionally earlier on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, arrangements are being made for the bodies of the two boys to be sent to Bulgaria to be buried, at state expense.

Police continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the police on the bases confirmed that the children’s father is scheduled to appear before the court sitting at Dhekelia at noon on July 2 whilst the stepmother who had also been detained in connection with the case, was released unconditionally earlier on Wednesday.

“The SBA police can confirm that investigations into the tragic deaths of two children are ongoing,” the statement said.

Police added that, as enquiries remain active, they were “unable to comment further on the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including the cause of death”.

“The SBA Police remain committed to conducting a thorough and professional investigation and will provide further information when it is appropriate to do so,” the statement added.

The police also appealed for the privacy of the family and all those affected by the incident to be respected.

The children’s father and his partner were initially arrested on suspicion of negligence and appeared before the Dhekelia court earlier this week. Reports indicated that the children aged eight and ten had remained inside the vehicle, which was within the Dhekelia British base on Sunday, for several hours.  

German forensic and technical experts have been brought in to assist investigations into the deaths of the two boys found inside the BMW in Xylofagou, with authorities examining whether an electronic locking system may have played a role in the incident.

The involvement of the specialists was confirmed on Tuesday as bases’ police continued inquiries into the deaths of the children. 

Postmortem examinations carried out earlier have not yet established a definitive cause of death.

Police said that following the autopsy “the cause of death will require further testing to be determined”, with additional forensic and toxicological analysis expected.

Investigators are also reviewing electronic devices belonging to the children’s father and stepmother.

Mobile phones were seized for forensic examination to retrieve data including messages, photographs and location records.