A hotel constructed in occupied Lapithos in the 1980s with the contractor knowingly covering human remains discovered during foundation works, is now being demolished under the supervision of the Committee on Missing persons (CMP), following information provided by the worker who found them.
Greek Cypriot CMP representative Leonidas Pantelides told the Cyprus News Agency the contractor at the time had ordered the remains to be covered up and construction to move forward, and pleas to dissuade him had fallen on deaf ears.
Construction work did halt later on due to financial difficulties and the hotel passed into the hands of a new contractor, who decided to demolish it.
Pantelides said the CMP reached out to the new contractor, who agreed to allow its archaeologists to oversee the demolition works and, if necessary, exhume remains.
Two CMP teams have been at the site since Monday and Pantelides said “we are optimistic.”
Soldiers believed to be down a well
The case of the Lapithos hotel is not the only one impacting the work of the CMP.
Eight soldiers are believed to be buried – in a well – in the garden of property illegally purchased in the north by a German national, who refused to grant access to the CMP.
Pantelides said the property was sold a few years later and the CMP is now in the process of requesting permission from the new owner to carry out investigations.
The well is no longer visible and ground-penetrating radar technology will be used to scan the area and pinpoint the well’s location.
According to latest CMP figures, 1,090 individuals have been identified out of a total of 2,002 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot missing persons.
Additionally, another 217 individuals, who are not included on the CMP’s official list, have also been identified. Of the 1,090 identified individuals, 765 are Greek Cypriots and 325 are Turkish Cypriots.
So far in 2026, the remains of 28 individuals have been identified. Of these, only one was on the official list of missing persons.
In 2025, the remains of 12 missing persons were identified.
Investigations ongoing in various locations
An excavation in Ayios Georgios in the village of Spathariko has recently been completed. Information gathered pointed to a well with the remains of two Greek Cypriots later recovered.
An excavation was also completed at Koutsoventis for the remains of one Greek Cypriot. No remains were found.
A CMP team is now working on a well in Trikomo, following reports of the remains of three Turkish Cypriots from the 1963-1964 period. Information also indicated Greek Cypriots from 1974 were buried at the same location.
In Karmi, an excavation is underway within a military zone, based on information regarding the burial of one Turkish Cypriot. This is the second-to-last excavation scheduled to take place in a military zone this year.
In Lapithos, the first phase of an excavation has been completed, resulting in the discovery of the remains of two individuals.
Largescale excavations are also being conducted at Exo Metochi. Reports suggest the burial of four to six Greek Cypriots, though no findings have been made so far.
At Neo Chorio Kythreas, in the direction of Mia Milia, fragments and small bones corresponding to one individual were recovered during an excavation. Information points to the burial of four to five Greek Cypriots at a specific location that has been identified.
An excavation was completed at Livadia, Famagusta, where a Greek Cypriot was reportedly buried in a pit, but no remains were found.
A CMP team is also working in Galatia, where excavations began on Monday, November 2.
In Yerolakkos, investigations are ongoing for a Turkish Cypriot believed to have been buried there during the 1963-1964 period.
The investigative process has already been completed for approximately 100 cases, which have been added to the list of sites slated for excavation. These will begin in the coming months, subject to the availability of CMP teams. Furthermore, around 300 additional cases are currently under investigation.
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