Committee on Missing Persons monitors hotel demolition in Lapithos to recover human remains

Teams from the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) are currently monitoring the demolition of an unfinished hotel in the occupied town of Lapithos, Cyprus. The project, which began in the late 1980s, was stalled for years due to financial issues. A witness who worked at the site during the initial construction period reported that human remains were uncovered during foundation works, but the original contractor ordered the site to be covered and construction to proceed despite the discovery.

Following the change of ownership, the current contractor agreed to cooperate with the CMP. Since November 2, two CMP teams have been on-site overseeing the demolition to ensure that if human remains are present, they can be properly identified and exhumed. Leonidas Pantelides, the Greek Cypriot representative on the committee, noted that the team is optimistic about finding the remains, which are believed to be linked to long-standing missing persons cases. This incident highlights ongoing challenges faced by the committee as illegal construction in the north increasingly threatens potential burial sites.

Separately, the CMP is navigating complications at other locations, including a property where the owner, a German national, has denied the committee access to search for the remains of eight soldiers believed to be buried in a well.