 |
Workers excavate mass grave in Bosnia
May contain as many as 300 bodies
September 3, 1997
Web posted at: 10:06 p.m. EDT (0206 GMT)From Correspondent Betsy Aaron
RIPAC, Bosnia (CNN) -- In the middle of what used to be a forest near the town of Bihac, workers are excavating a cave that may contain as many as 300 bodies.
Working Wednesday in icy water and muck in a deep cave called "The Abyss" by local people, workers recovered the skeletal remains of seven people.
Skulls, a wool sock clinging to a leg bone, ribs, vertebrae and other remains like identification cards are being collected as officials attempt to resolve an atrocity that is believed to have taken place five years ago.
It was in 1992 that somewhere between 78 and 300 people, mostly Muslim men and women, were taken from their homes. They were not seen again. Twenty of Zoran Kdic's friends were among them.
CNN's Betsy Aaron reports.
"Since the war," he said, "we haven't had any signs whether they are alive or dead."
Locals believe the Serbs who overran the area murdered the villagers and dumped their bodies into the cave. The bodies were then covered with garbage and refuse.
'We were told our judgment day has arrived'
While the excavation goes on, friends and relatives wait nearby for word, for a sign that a loved one has been recovered.
The identification process is made more difficult by the fact that five years have passed, and that acid may have been thrown on the bodies to speed decomposition.
"They are in advanced stages of decay, reduced to bone and clothing," said Joseph Cruz, a human rights officer.
"I lost two cousins," said Sulio Duponovic.
In the nearby village of Ripac, Ismet Softic and Adil Susnjar sit at a table in the sunlight, remembering how they were captured and held in a Serb concentration camp.
"There was beating and screaming," Softic said. "We were told our judgment day has arrived."
'In my heart, the war will never end'
Both escaped, however, and returned to their village not far from The Abyss. It is a place small enough that everyone knew most of those who disappeared, and remembers the horror of those days.
Sulio Duponovic, who says he is filled with a desire to find the bodies and fix the blame, said, "In my heart the war will never end."
The Abyss is on a remote hill four miles down a rutted, bumpy dirt road from a main highway. There are two more caves in the area, both about as deep as The Abyss, and officials suspect there may be bodies in them, as well.
But work won't begin on those caves until The Abyss is empty, something workers say will take quite a while.
Related stories:
- In Bosnia, ethnic cleansing scars are difficult to heal - August 31, 1997
- U.N. police evacuated in troubled Bosnian town - August 28, 1997
- U.S., German officials: Attacks in Bosnia must stop - July 27, 1997
- Bosnian peace process lagging, despite end to fighting - April 15, 1997
Related site:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- BosniaLINK - Department of Defense
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Sound off on our message boards
You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.