[alnitak]

I saw some of the footage on ITV News Channel, the remains (seemed to be mainly just bones) were a dusty brown colour, roughly the same colour as the surrounding desert. Does that mean they could have been previously buried? What colour do bones go if they are just left?

[judicial meanz]

From my experience, bones do get a dusty look to them after a few years of drying. If they are in the sunlight, they bleach white. If not, they appear darker and musty. The bones being a dusty or sand color is (in my opinion) consistent with them being in the room there for a long time.

You can roughly determine the age of the corpses by looking at the suture lines of the skulls. Older peoples sutures are knitted really close, younger peoples sutures are wider apart. Some may have signs of arthritis, or other degenerative diseases. Good tips to age the corpse.