Croatia Exhumes Bodies of Two 1990s War Victims

The Croatian War Veterans Ministry said on Thursday that the remains of two people who it believes were victims of the 1990s war have been discovered in Negoslavci, a village in eastern Croatia.

"Conducting field investigations at the Orthodox cemetery in Negoslavci, the remains of two persons were found, which according to preliminary findings date from the period of the Homeland [1990s] War," the ministry said in a statement.

After the exhumation, the remains were transported to the Forensic and Criminal Investigation Department in Zagreb for further examination and identification.

Negoslavci, a village near the town of Vukovar, is mainly inhabited by Serbs.

The Yugoslav People's Army and Serbian paramilitaries were stationed there during the three-month siege of Vukovar in 1991.

After the fall of Vukovar on November 18, 1991, some captured Croatian defenders of the town and civilians were brought to Negoslavci, after which they were never seen again.

The ministry said that it has been conducting field surveys and investigations at 12 locations in the area since September. Initial findings from the other sites have not been confirmed and investigations will continue.

The ministry said that it is "still searching for 1,872 unresolved cases [of missing persons] from the Homeland War, of which the biggest number of victims - 530 - are people from the Vukovar-Srijem county area".