Nicosia, Cyprus. Archaeologist Michalis Iacovides has described the 2017 excavation at Athalassa hospital, where investigators searched for people missing after a Turkish Air Force bombing killed 33 people on July 20, 1974. The operation uncovered remains of patients buried in makeshift graves following hours of bombardment.
Hospital bombing
The bombing lasted continuously from 9am until 1.30pm on July 20, 1974. When the attacks stopped, nurses on duty found Ward 1 completely destroyed and numerous injured patients in Ward 2.
The Turkish Air Force bombed two hospital wards, killing 31 patients, including three Turkish Cypriots, and two nurses. The remains of two victims were returned to their families at the time and buried in their home villages.
The intended target is believed to have been a nearby military camp used as an ammunition depot. Wards 1 and 2, which were closest to the military storage facilities, recorded the greatest loss of life.
Excavation findings
Excavations began in November 2017 and continued for several weeks to recover the remains of those killed in the bombing.
Iacovides told the Cyprus News Agency that some victims were found with glass shards embedded in their bodies. One person was still holding a Serenace medicine ampoule in a folded hand, while investigators recovered up to 30 such ampoules.
He said the bodies were wrapped in blankets and sheets, in line with witness accounts. A female patient’s red nylon dress had not deteriorated.
Campaign for exhumations
Iacovides said the exhumations followed years of efforts by the late Xenophon Kallis, who had campaigned for excavations to locate the remains of missing persons with the support of then Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou.
“Xenophon Kallis had placed the Athalassa hospital exhumations among his highest priorities,” Iacovides said.
