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Crime

Seventh body found in serial killings in Cyprus

June 13, 2019

The discovery of a seventh murder victim should bring the two-month search for bodies to a close. Authorities have been severely criticized for their handling of the case.

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Investigators by the quarry where victims have been found, Cyprus
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias

The body of a young girl has been found by divers in a quarry pool near the Cypriot capital, Nicosia.

The death takes the number of bodies discovered on the Mediterranean island to seven and it is expected to conclude a case that has been ongoing for several years.

Read more: Remains of sixth suspected serial killer victim found in lake

According to police, a 35-year-old captain in the Cypriot military has admitted to committing seven murders. As a result, authorities are not expecting to find any more bodies, Cypriot media reported on Thursday.

Police officers carrying stretcher near Nicosia, Cyprus
The body of a sixth victim is carried away after being retrieved from a quarry near the capital, NicosiaImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias

Since April, police have discovered the bodies of five women and two children, all of whom are believed to have come from Asia or Romania. The women had worked as maids on the island.

Police have come under fire for their handling of the case, leading many to believe their inefficiency was due to the victims' nationalities.

The widespread disapproval prompted the resignation of the Cypriot justice minister in May, in addition to the dismissal of the chief of police.

Two months ago, a German traveler, who was taking photographs of an abandoned ore mine, noticed a body, which came to the surface of a 150-meter (500-foot) shaft inundated after heavy rainfall.

jsi/ng (dpa, AP, AFP)

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