Forensic examination scheduled for decomposed body found in Sotira

Forensic doctors are set to carry out a post mortem on a body in an advanced state of decomposition found in the area of Sotira in the Famagusta district on Monday at 2pm.

The post mortem will take place at 11.30 am and is expected to shed light on the person’s gender, age, as well as on the time and circumstances of its death.

According to police spokesperson Christos Andreou, a fisherman told police that he had found a human corpse in a rocky area near the Ayia Thekla area in Sotira. The scene was immediately cordoned off by police officers, who, due to the body’s advanced decomposition, were unable to ascertain whether the corpse belonged to a man or a woman.

The post mortem will be carried out at Nicosia general hospital, where the remains of the body were transported.

“It is not yet clear whether the corpse was washed up from the sea, but evidence suggests that it was,” Andreou told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

“The coast guard was also informed, and patrols were dispatched at sea in the area to find information that could assist investigators.”

Asked whether the corpse might belong to a migrant, Andreou said that “nothing can be ruled out.”

“All possibilities are open. From early investigations, we can only say that it is probable that the corpse was washed up from the sea, but this will also be determined by the post-mortem.

“Certainly, the body’s advanced state of decomposition complicates the forensic doctors’ work.”