Funeral held for nine Syrian refugees in Lefke

The bodies of nine refugees which were found on the shores of the Karpaz region on 13 and 14 May were interred today at Lefke Cemetery.

The refugees’ bodies had been kept at the morgue at Nicosia State Hospital where DNA tests were performed. Some were identified and their relatives in South Cyprus were notified.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kudret Özersay, Lefke Mayor Aziz Kaya and the families of the refugees coming from South Cyprus with special permission, took part in the funeral ceremony.

Ahmet El Hasan, a refugee relative, spoke to BRT and said that his relatives had suffered a tragedy while fleeing from the war.

Hasan thanked everyone who helped them and contributed to the organisation of the funeral.

At the funeral ceremony, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kudret Özersay, who met with the families of the refugees, remarked on the sadness of this human tragedy.

Özersay noted that they wanted to be buried in their own country but that the burial process had to be done as soon as possible as a certain amount of time had passed since the refugees were washed up on the beaches. He thanked Lefke municipality for cooperating with the Ministry of Health and for arranging the burials and the funeral rites.

He said that he hoped that no such thing would happen ever again.

Havadis