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27/02/2009
'Nothing Found' In Bog Meadows Police Search
A police search for traces of human remains at Bog Meadows in west Belfast has ended - without anything being found.
The operation was a follow-up to specialised searches of land formerly owned by the adjacent Milltown Cemetery by dogs trained to indicate where human remains may be buried.
Archaeologists from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) originally reported what they described as an "anomalous image" during surveys on a stretch of land in the Bog Meadows that once lay within the boundary of the cemetery.
This was on foot of their search for the remains of hundreds of babies believed to have been buried in unmarked graves on the stretch of land whose ownership was transferred from Milltown Cemetery to the Ulster Wildlife Trust in 2001.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency said it had been asked to carry out the work by the original Catholic Church on behalf of the Trustees of Milltown Cemetery to help find what land was used in the past to bury infants.
Estimates of the numbers buried at the site range from around 200 to several thousands, with many of the remains expected to be infants or newborns.
The issue came to light following protests by residents who insisted thousands of unmarked graves lay outside the Milltown Cemetery boundary with the QUB team brought in to conduct the search.
Since Wednesday, police forensic teams have been examining a small area of a field adjoining the cemetery.
Yesterday, after a PSNI spokesman cautioned against speculation following reports that the find could be linked to the disappearance of two schoolboys 30 years ago, the search has now concluded without turning up anything.
See: Bog Meadows Search Underway For Boys' Remains
(BMcC/JM)
The operation was a follow-up to specialised searches of land formerly owned by the adjacent Milltown Cemetery by dogs trained to indicate where human remains may be buried.
Archaeologists from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) originally reported what they described as an "anomalous image" during surveys on a stretch of land in the Bog Meadows that once lay within the boundary of the cemetery.
This was on foot of their search for the remains of hundreds of babies believed to have been buried in unmarked graves on the stretch of land whose ownership was transferred from Milltown Cemetery to the Ulster Wildlife Trust in 2001.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency said it had been asked to carry out the work by the original Catholic Church on behalf of the Trustees of Milltown Cemetery to help find what land was used in the past to bury infants.
Estimates of the numbers buried at the site range from around 200 to several thousands, with many of the remains expected to be infants or newborns.
The issue came to light following protests by residents who insisted thousands of unmarked graves lay outside the Milltown Cemetery boundary with the QUB team brought in to conduct the search.
Since Wednesday, police forensic teams have been examining a small area of a field adjoining the cemetery.
Yesterday, after a PSNI spokesman cautioned against speculation following reports that the find could be linked to the disappearance of two schoolboys 30 years ago, the search has now concluded without turning up anything.
See: Bog Meadows Search Underway For Boys' Remains
(BMcC/JM)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A fine dry days weather with sunshine quite widespread, particularly from mid-morning. Temperatures best across southern districts. North to northwesy breezes occasionally freshening around the coasts. Maximum temperature 15 °C.Tonight:Most dry with good clear spells bringing a rural frost in the south for some. Cloudier around northern coasts where the odd light shower may develop. Northerly breezes persisting. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
