Colombia denies UN claims of hiding 20,000 bodies at airport

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Colombia on Thursday rejected the UN claims of hiding 20,000 unidentified corpses at the 27 hangars at El Dorado Airport in the capital Bogota.

After a four-hour inspection, Colombian authorities dismissed the presence of the grim scene reported by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

Just before the inspection, Opain, the private company managing the airport, and Medicina Legal also confirmed they were unaware of any hangar containing the bodies.

Colombian government’s remarks came after a visit by the UN Commission this morning, which criticized the existence of an alleged quasi-morgue storing up to 20,000 unidentified corpses in a hangar at Bogota’s El Dorado Airport.

Colombian authorities launched a thorough inspection that ultimately led to their denial of the claims.

“In view of the news reported in some media about the alleged existence of a hangar with thousands of lifeless bodies, OPAIN, concessionaire of El Dorado International Airport, informs the public that it has no knowledge of these facts,” said airport management company, according to media reports.

The Institute of Forensic Medicine also stated that it is unaware of the existence of such a hangar and clarified that "it has not received any requests from authorities for the study or analysis of such cases."

The UN released a report on Thursday on the situation of forced disappearances and handling of unidentified corpses in the country.

“Thousands of unidentified corpses lie in cemeteries or poorly managed warehouses, such as a hangar at the Bogota airport, where some 20,000 unidentified bodies are currently stored,” the UN said in a statement.