Investigators identified eight additional sets of human skeletal remains at the Chemmani-Siththupathy mass grave site in Jaffna on Tuesday, bringing the total number of victims uncovered during the ongoing excavation to 270.
The discoveries were made on the fourteenth day of excavations under the third phase of the court-supervised investigation, which has become one of the most significant mass grave inquiries in the Tamil homeland.
According to legal expert Niranjan, who has been monitoring proceedings at the site, eight skeletal remains were identified during Tuesday's excavation work, of which five were fully exhumed.
Among the latest discoveries were two skeletons found positioned one above the other, as well as skeletal remains believed to belong to children.
Investigators also identified an additional cluster of skeletal remains, with cleaning and preservation work currently underway to facilitate further examination and documentation.
Niranjan stated that part of the leg of one skeleton had been found in a damaged condition. The cause of the damage remains unclear and will require further forensic analysis to determine whether it occurred before burial, during burial, or as a result of later environmental factors.
A copper artefact was recovered alongside one of the skeletal remains and catalogued as evidence.
The latest discovery adds to a growing collection of personal items and artefacts recovered from the burial site during the current phase of excavations. Investigators have previously unearthed a nose stud, coins, nails, a fragment of a yellow-coloured bangle, a neck chain and a coin-shaped pendant believed to be an amulet.
The pendant was recovered during excavation work on Monday and may assist investigators in efforts to establish the identity of one of the victims.
As of Tuesday evening, a total of 270 human skeletal remains had been identified at the Chemmani mass grave site. Of those, 267 skeletons have now been fully exhumed.
The current phase of excavations resumed earlier this week after a temporary suspension following the completion of the first twelve days of work under the third phase of investigations. Excavations recommenced on 1 June and continue under judicial supervision.
The Chemmani mass grave has attracted growing international attention as increasing numbers of human remains continue to be uncovered. The site is closely linked to longstanding allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and wartime abuses committed in the North-East.
Chemmani first came to prominence in the late 1990s following testimony from a Sri Lankan soldier who alleged that hundreds of Tamils who disappeared in military custody had been buried in the area. Families of the disappeared and human rights organisations have long argued that the site was never comprehensively investigated.
The discovery of further skeletal remains, including those believed to belong to children, has intensified calls from families, civil society groups and international organisations for a thorough forensic investigation and accountability for those responsible.
As excavations continue, the steadily rising number of victims uncovered at Chemmani continues to reinforce demands for truth and justice from families who have spent decades searching for answers about their forcibly disappeared loved ones.