LONDON: The Syrian Civil Defense reported that the remains of 14 individuals were found in the Adra industrial area, northeast of Damascus, during excavation for mill foundations in the area.
Search teams coordinated recovery operations at the site with the National Commission for the Missing, the public prosecutor, and security authorities, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The National Mine Action Center surveyed the area to ensure that it was clear of land mines and found the bones of four individuals scattered by prior digging. They later recovered the remains of 10 more individuals.
The remains were documented and collected in accordance with forensic procedures. Authorities are identifying the victims and investigating a suspected mass grave linked to the former Assad regime.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, nearly 177,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Syria since March 2011.
