In Syria, 140,000 people still listed as missing

(Patria) - Syrian officials said yesterday that nearly 140,000 people are still listed as missing in this war-torn country.

- According to human rights organizations, the number of missing persons in Syria is 140,000 - said the Minister for Emergency Situations and Disasters, Raid al-Saleh, at a press conference in Damascus.

He stated that there are indications of the existence of mass graves in the country.

- However, there are no exact statistics on the number of those graves - added Saleh, as reported by the state news agency SANA.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the rule of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the anti-regime forces that overthrew Assad, was declared president for the transitional period in January.