Identification of the remains of 16 people found at Petrovačka dol

The identification of the remains of the Homeland War victims found at the Vukovar landfill Petrovačka dol in May 2024 continues. The remains of 16 people, including 9 veterans and 7 civilians, are being identified in Vukovar today. The victims are aged between 22 and 68.

They all disappeared in the autumn of 1991 during the Greater Serbian aggression on Vukovar, and were last seen in several locations: in the Velepromet hangars, in Negoslavci, where they were also brought from the Vukovar hospital and some were taken from the Jakobovac Farm and Ristićev Salaš, and from their homes in Sajmište.

More than 2,000 bone fragments were found in an area of about 400 square meters at Petrovačka dol. Along with the family members of the missing in Vukovar, the Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić and the Minister of Croatian Veterans' Affairs Tomo Medved are also present, who said that intensive work continues to find all the missing.

Milovan Kubat from the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Diagnostics in Zagreb said that this is the most demanding location from the Homeland War.

“We have been doing this job since day one, but believe me, the employees of our DNA laboratory are working hard and we will try to finish it to the end,” Kubat emphasized.

Ljiljana Alvir from the Union of Associations of Families of Detained and Missing Croatian Veterans expressed hope that other families will also see the moment of identification of their loved ones.

“I hope that all our families who are still searching, who were not lucky enough to be here today, will also see that moment come,” Alvir said.

Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić emphasized that the institutions are here to serve and help families.

“It is difficult to even fathom the immense pain you feel. I keep wondering when it will end. Today, the search has come to an end for 16 families. Is that a relief or even greater pain? I think it is both at the same time. May God give you the strength to endure,” said Turudić.

“These are difficult human destinies that leave no one indifferent, but also clear indicators of the scale of the crimes committed. And that is why the Chief State Attorney, who has been following the research at Petrovačka Dol from the beginning, is with us today,” said Medved, adding that the mass grave at Petrovačka Dol clearly demonstrates all the brutality and callousness of the Greater Serbian aggressors.

“The victims we find there were killed at other locations, and then they were moved to that dump, with the clear aim of covering up the crime,” he told reporters in a statement at Petrovčka Dol.

He recalled that a detailed search of the location began in April 2022, and two years later, in May 2024, the remains of the victims were found.

This was also the reason why the suspension of waste disposal at that location, which is still being searched, was requested.

“This is the most demanding and longest-researched mass grave location, as shown by the following indicators: in 590 working days - more than 110,000 cubic meters of various garbage and waste were excavated, inspected and exported, and a mountain of asbestos was also removed,” said Medved.

“After two full years of daily tireless and dedicated work in the field, more than 2,000 fragmented bone parts were found under a pile of waste, including animal bones, on about 400 square meters, which were then carefully exhumed so that no bones remained, and the exhumation itself lasted almost two months,” he said.

Source: HRT