The Committee for Missing Persons stated today that at a cemetery in Vrbovljani, Western Slavonija, Croatian authorities completed the exhumation of the remains of Serbian nationals killed in operation Bljesak (Flash), conducted by Croatian police and the army.

The statement adds that the exhumation process took eight days and remains of 48 persons have been recovered. Samples have been taken to determine their identity by DNA analysis.

All exhumed remains were transported to the Authority for Court Medicine and Criminalistics in Zagreb, where they will be identified.

Exhumations in Vrbovljani are a continuation of the process to exhume victims of operation Bljesak, which is of particular importance to their families who have been trying to locate and properly bury their loved ones for years, the statement adds.