The number of skeletal remains recovered at the alleged mass grave site in Chemmani reached 249 during the third phase of excavation work ordered by a court, according to a human rights lawyer.
A Sri Lankan court ordered the recommencement of excavation work on a mass grave in Chemmani last week, on the outskirts of Jaffna, seven months after it was halted.
The excavation work on the mass grave, which first came into focus during the LTTE conflict in the 1990s, was halted in September last year for want of funds.
During the second phase, which lasted 45 days, 240 skeletal remains were recovered.
Till Tuesday, nine skeleton remains were recovered in the third phase, rights lawyer Ranitha Gnanaraja, who is present at the excavation site on behalf of the aggrieved, said.
"A few coins and what looks like a piece of jewellery have also been dug out", she added.
Some skeletal remains were discovered during routine development work in Chemmani on February 13, 2025. A week later, a court ordered a judicial examination of them.
On May 15, the first phase of excavations began under judicial supervision.
Chemmani came under focus in 1998 at the height of the conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and government troops for an alleged mass grave. Some 15 skeletons were discovered then.