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Event

Chemmani mass grave, Jaffna

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Details

Place

Chemmani Sindhubathi cemetery, Jaffna

Found

Remains were first noticed on 20 February 2025 during a development project, according to Ada Derana

Count

141 skeletons recovered within a 165-square-metre area by 21 August 2025; remains of 351 individuals exhumed by 15 June 2026, with remains of 360 identified, according to a lawyer for relatives quoted by Ada Derana

Status

The sixth phase of excavation began on 27 April 2026 under the Jaffna Magistrate and was ongoing as reported 16 June 2026; identities, cause and timing of the deaths were unclear

Appears on

Disappearances and wartime killings

Last checked

14 Oct 2026 (what this means)

Connections (3)

• Jaffna Magistrate’s Court / Ordered the excavation on a police application; holds the remains / Chemmani mass grave, Jaffna
  • Reports that Jaffna police obtained a court order from the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court to excavate the site.21 Aug 2025 · Ada Derana · Excavations at Chemmani mass grave to continue for eight more weeks
  • Reports that all remains and artefacts are held by a consultant judicial medical officer at the University of Jaffna under orders from the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court.16 Jun 2026 · Ada Derana · Chemmani becomes largest mass grave unearthed in Northern Province as exhumed remains exceed 350
• Sri Lanka Army / Said excavation is a civil matter for the police and courts / Chemmani mass grave, Jaffna
  • Quotes the army media director, Brigadier Waruna Gamage, as saying that the excavations are ongoing and that it is a civil matter belonging to the police and courts.21 Aug 2025 · Ada Derana · Excavations at Chemmani mass grave to continue for eight more weeks
• Chemmani mass grave, Jaffna / Reported to exceed the size of / Mannar mass grave, found 2018
  • Reports that Chemmani became the largest mass grave recorded in the Northern Province in recent history, and that the Mannar site, with 342 individuals unearthed in 2018 to 2019, had been considered the largest in the region.16 Jun 2026 · Ada Derana · Chemmani becomes largest mass grave unearthed in Northern Province as exhumed remains exceed 350