Eight of the nine human bodies recovered from the 74th day of excavations at Sri Lanka’s second-largest mass grave are children.
Lawyer Ranitha Gnanarajah, who has been overseeing the investigation for over a year, said on June 8 that 311 of the 327 human bodies identified so far have been recovered from the Chemmani Sitthupathi mass grave.
The nearly 100 artifacts recovered from the Chemmani Sitthupathi mass grave along with human bones include baby milk bottles, toys including a doll, children’s shoes and school bags, and several coins.
The excavation of the Chemmani Sitthupathi mass grave in Jaffna, under the direction of forensic archaeologist Professor Raj Somadeva and the Jaffna Forensic Medical Officer Sellaya Pranavan, commenced for the first time on 15 May 2025, on court orders.
The largest mass grave found in Sri Lanka so far is the Sathosa mass grave in Mannar, where 376 human remains, including 28 children, were found.