The number of human skeletons recovered from the largest mass grave ever found in Sri Lanka has exceeded 450.

Lawyer Ranitha Gnanarajah, who is representing victims of enforced disappearances in the North, told journalists that the bones of 454 people have already been recovered from the 92-day excavations carried out in three phases from May 15 last year to date.

A skeleton buried in a cross legged position partly unearthed on Sunday is yet to be totally recovered, she added.

On July 20, the 38th day of the third phase of excavations, two of the eight newly recovered human skeletons from the mass grave were of young children. The number of human skeletons recovered yesterday is 6. (Newswire)

The post 454 skeletal remains recovered from Chemmani Mass Grave appeared first on Newswire.

Excavations at the Chemmani Sittupattu cemetery site yesterday (15) uncovered skeletal remains of another 10 human bodies, raising the total recovered from the mass grave to 351, the largest such discovery reported from the Northern Province in recent history.

According to reports, Attorney V.K. Niranjan, representing families of the disappeared, said that by the 25th day of the sixth phase of excavations, skeletal remains of 360 bodies had been identified, of which 351 have so far been unearthed. 

The work is being carried out under the direct supervision of Jaffna Magistrate S. Leninkumar, assisted by a team of experts including Senior Professor of Archaeology Raj Somadeva of the University of Kelaniya and Dr. Sellaiya Piranavan, forensic medicine specialist at the University of Jaffna.

Since April 27, 2026, the sixth phase alone has yielded remains of 112 bodies. 

Investigators have also found fragments suspected to belong to small children, along with a piece of gold jewelry and coins. All skeletal remains and items are being securely held under court orders at the Faculty of Forensic Medicine, University of Jaffna. (Newswire)

The post Chemmani mass grave: remains of 10 more bodies uncovered, total rises to 351 appeared first on Newswire.