Human bones identified as belonging to Russian throne's heir and his sister
26 Jun 2008, 1313 Hrs

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Washington, June 26 (ANI): Bones found near the execution site of the Romanov family in Russia, have been determined by authorities as belonging to the heir to the Russian throne and his sister.

According to a report by the United Press International (UOPI), the royal remains were found in 2007 near Yekaterinburg.

The bones are those of a boy age 12 to 14 and a young woman in her late teens, said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the committee investigating the remains.

Markin said that both DNA testing and historical and archaeological analysis made the identification of the bones as Alexei, the 13-year-old son of Czar Nicholas II, and Grand Duchess Maria.

Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, their four daughters and son were imprisoned by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg, a remote village in the Urals.

In 1918, the family and some of their servants were shot and buried secretly. The remains of most of the family were found in 1991 and identified by DNA comparison.

The committee expects to publish definitive results in July. (ANI)