They have also found three sets of disarticulated bones that may correspond to possible victims of the prison of Formentera
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Excavations of the Cementiri Nou de Sant Francesc
The joint venture formed by the Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi and ATICS S.L. has finished today the tasks of the second phase of exhumation in the Cementiri Nou de Sant Francesc, in Formentera, framed in the IV Plan de Fosas del Govern de les Illes Balears (2023-2024).
The work began just over a month ago, on 20 November. During the excavations, archaeologists and technicians located the bodies (in primary position) of 23 possible victims who would have been held in the island’s prison between 1941 and 1942. In addition, the remains of three sets of disarticulated bones (in a secondary position) have also been found, which could also correspond to possible victims of the prison.
Over the past weeks, 33 graves in rows 5, 6, 7 and 8 have been excavated. Most of the findings were in rows 7 and 8, where three of the burials were double burials, that is, there were two possible prisoners buried in the same grave, one on top of the other, in different coffins. The UTE also reported that two of the individuals found were under 30 years of age and two others showed signs compatible with pulmonary tuberculosis, which was one of the main causes of mortality among inmates in the prison.
The excavations of the Cementiri Nou de Sant Francesc in Formentera ended with the recovery of 23 bodies.
They have also found three sets of disarticulated bones that may correspond to possible victims of the prison of Formentera
The joint venture formed by the Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi and ATICS S.L. has finished today the tasks of the second phase of exhumation in the Cementiri Nou de Sant Francesc, in Formentera, framed in the IV Plan de Fosas del Govern de les Illes Balears (2023-2024).
The work began just over a month ago, on 20 November. During the excavations, archaeologists and technicians located the bodies (in primary position) of 23 possible victims who would have been held in the island’s prison between 1941 and 1942. In addition, the remains of three sets of disarticulated bones (in a secondary position) have also been found, which could also correspond to possible victims of the prison.
Over the past weeks, 33 graves in rows 5, 6, 7 and 8 have been excavated. Most of the findings were in rows 7 and 8, where three of the burials were double burials, that is, there were two possible prisoners buried in the same grave, one on top of the other, in different coffins. The UTE also reported that two of the individuals found were under 30 years of age and two others showed signs compatible with pulmonary tuberculosis, which was one of the main causes of mortality among inmates in the prison.
It is worth remembering that the first phase of the excavations was carried out in 2022 (within the framework of the III Plan de Fosas) and that 6 bodies of other possible victims were located in the same place. In this way, the project coordinator and archaeologist, Almudena García-Rubio, explains that adding the findings of 2022, half of the victims of the prison would have been located.
The Aranzadi-ATICS Science Society added that laboratory work will be carried out in 2024 and the data will be interpreted in order to assess the possibility of extending the research to another area of the cemetery. Genetic analysis will also continue in collaboration with the Junta de Extremadura, and other institutions, to search for relatives who can provide samples for the identification of the victims.