The graves of 90 soldiers, killed in the Falklands War of 1982, remained unidentified until last year. A few still remain interred on the disputed islands in graves marked "Argentine soldier known only to God."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Beattie
Advertisement
Family members of soldiers killed in the Falklands War paid their tribute at the graves of their loved ones for the first time in 36 years.
The graves of 121 Argentine soldiers in the disputed Falklands Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, had remained unidentified since the war in 1982. But, after DNA testing, the International Committee of the Red Cross was able to name 90 of them last year.
For most of the past 36 years, the plaque on their graves read "Argentine soldier known only to God."
"I found my son, I spoke with him, I asked him questions, I shared my feelings with him, my pain," said Dalal Massad after she and her husband Carlos Massad paid their tribute to their son. "I feel at peace because I know where he is."
The Massads were part of a group of around 250 Argentines who travelled to the islands on Monday. The visit was part of an agreement reached with Britain.
The search for Argentina's missing submarine
A round-the-clock international search has been launched after Argentina's ARA San Juan submarine went missing on November 15. Rescuers raced to locate the missing vessel and its 44 crew members before oxygen runs out.
Image: Reuters/M. Brindicci
Where is the ARA San Juan?
Argentina's ARA San Juan went missing in the South Atlantic last week with dozens of crew members on board. The German-built diesel-electric submarine was commissioned in 1985, but was refitted in 2014 — leading to some concerns that a mistake was made during the renovation.
Image: picture alliance/Armada Argentina/telam/dpa/J. S. Lobos
Missing at sea
The submarine departed from the extreme southern port of Ushuaia on November 8 after it took part in a training exercise. Argentina says it lost contact with the submarine on November 15.
Who is on board?
There are 44 crew members on board the submarine, including Argentina's first female navy submarine officer. Eliana Maria Krawczyk, 35, joined the navy in 2004 and rose to become the master-at-arms on board the ARA San Juan.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Argentine Navy
What could have gone wrong?
Authorities do not yet know what happened on the missing submarine, but it's possible there was a technical issue. The submarine's captain reported that one of the ship's batteries had failed before communication was lost. There was speculation that an "unusual" noise transmitted just hours after the sub's last contact could have been the sound of an explosion.
Image: Reuters/Handout: Armada Argentina
International search
Argentina is leading a massive search for the missing submarine along with the help of several other countries including: Brazil, Britain, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, the United States and Uruguay. Britain's HMS Clyde (pictured above) also joined in the search as it was returning from a patrol.
Image: Royal Navy United Kingdom
Scanning the skies
Several aircraft were also used in the search, but rescue efforts have been hampered by bad weather. Search teams are combing an area of around 185,000 square miles (480,000 square kilometers) — roughly the size of Spain.
Image: US Air Force
Searching with sonar
On November 18, search units largely relied on information gathered by British polar exploration vessel, the HMS Protector (pictured above). The ship is equipped with underwater sonar technology and was following the lost submarine's path.
Image: Royal Navy United Kingdom
False alarms
Relatives have had to endure days of false hope however, after underwater sounds were determined to have originated from sea creatures and satellite signals turned out to be false alarms. Flares and a life raft were also found in the search area, but neither came from the missing submarine.
Image: Armada Argentina
President prays with relatives
The disappearance of the submarine has gripped the nation. Argentina's President Mauricio Macri (L) has been praying with the family members of crew members and coordinating with naval leaders.
Image: Reuters/Argentine Presidency
Families clinging to hope
"Argentina, be strong. In God we trust, we wait for you," reads a flag outside a navy base in Mar Del Plata. Worried relatives gathered at the base to await news of their loved ones. "We can make up a thousand movies with happy and sad endings, but the reality is that the days pass by and not knowing anything kills you," said Carlos Mendoza, the brother one of the crew members.
Image: Reuters/M. Brindicci
10 images1 | 10
'Closing a debt'
Some 255 British troops and about 650 Argentine soldiers were killed during the two-month war waged by the United Kingdom in 1982 to reclaim the islands from troops deployed by Argentine dictator Leopoldo Galtieri.
"Speaking for the state, I think we have taken an enormous step toward closing a debt we had to the families and to the heroes of the Malvinas," Argentina's human rights secretary, Claudio Avruj, said at the ceremony.
Relatives of fallen soldiers whose graves have not been identified also attended the ceremony on the Falklands, which lie some 300 miles (485 kilometers) off the coast of Patagonia.
"This is not the final step, this is the beginning," said Norma Gomez, whose brother Eduardo was identified. "This process will continue until all the missing soldiers are identified."
