Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre

Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre (Turkish: Muratağa, Sandallar ve Atlılar katliamı) refers to a massacre[1][2][3][4][5] of Turkish Cypriots by EOKA B; a Greek Cypriot paramilitary group[4] that took place on 14 August 1974 in the villages of Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda.

However, in July 1974, following the first Turkish invasion of Cyprus, all men of fighting age were taken away as prisoners of war to internment camps in Famagusta and from there transferred to Limassol.

Upon the launch of the second invasion of the Turkish Army, they decided not to leave behind any witnesses and killed the entire population of the villages present at the time.

[1] Associated Press described the corpses as "so battered and decomposed that they crumbled to pieces when soldiers lifted them from the garbage with shovels".

[15] Milliyet reported that parts of the bodies had been chopped off and sharp tools, as well as machine guns had been used in the massacre.

The primary school building in Santalaris is now used as a museum to commemorate the victims of the massacre. Each empty chair symbolises one child killed in the massacre.
Cemetery where the victims are buried in Maratha. Since the 2010s, the remains of those buried in the Maratha mass grave have been excavated and are being buried individually.