Excavation teams at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna uncovered four additional sets of skeletal remains on Thursday (04), including two believed to be children, bringing the total number of remains identified to 40, Tamil Guardian reported.
The remains are now under the custody of the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) for forensic analysis. Material evidence recovered from the grave, including a schoolbag and sandal, have been catalogued and placed under court custody pending further investigation.
Students from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Jaffna are assisting with the excavations, which continue to reveal new evidence each day. On Wednesday, excavations were also carried out at a newly marked site near the original gravesite, based on forensic assessments and geospatial imaging.
While the current phase is focused solely on excavation, lawyers representing the families of the disappeared stated in court that more conclusive findings will only emerge during the next stages, which include forensic analysis and the identification of victims. Until then, they cautioned, definitive conclusions cannot yet be drawn.
The recent discoveries have reignited calls from Tamil families, civil society organisations, and international actors for a fully independent investigation under international supervision.