Cypriots mark 50 years commemoration of Turkish invasion

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service for the fallen during the Turkish invasion 50 years ago on Saturday. Turkish troops landed on the Mediterranean island in an invasion that has left it divided and scarred to this day. As dawn broke, sirens wailed at 5:30 am the start time of 1974's Operation Atilla.

The invasion led to the conquering of one-third of Cyprus and displacement of around 40 percent of the population. More than 750 Greek Cypriots and almost 200 Turkish Cypriots remain missing, says the bicommunal Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus which tries to find and return their remains to loved ones.