VATICAN CITY: The mystery of the 1983 disappearance of the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee has taken yet another twist following excavations this week at a Vatican City cemetery: The Vatican said on Saturday it had discovered two ossuaries under a manhole that will be formally opened next week.

The Vatican on Thursday had pried open the tombs of two 19th-century German princesses in the cemetery of the Pontifical Teutonic College in hopes of finding the remains of Emanuela Orlandi, after her family received a tip she might be buried there.Those hopes were dashed when the tombs turned out to be completely empty.

The Vatican noted at the time that structural work had been carried out on both the college and cemetery near St. Peter`s Basilica in the 1800s and more recently, and that further investigation would be done.

On Saturday, Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said those investigations had centred on the areas adjoining the tombs and had `identified two ossuaries, located under the pavement of an area inside the Pontifical Teutonic College, covered by a manhole.`-AP