Scavengers and workers at the Forres Park landfill in Claxton Bay were left horrified shortly before midday yesterday, after what appeared to be human remains were discovered inside several buckets in a large metal waste bin.
According to reports, the discovery was made when a bin truck arrived at the landfill to offload shredded material from a company.
A worker told Guardian Media that when the bin was raised to release its contents, the lids of several white “pigtail” buckets popped open, spilling what appeared to be human remains.
Fingers were reportedly clearly visible among the material.
The worker said the remains appeared to have been chopped into pieces, possibly by machinery, before being placed inside the buckets.
The remains were reportedly found in approximately five buckets.
Police were alerted, and officers from the Couva Criminal Investigations Department visited the landfill as investigations got underway.
Senior Superintendent Bhagwandeen, head of the Central Division, said an upper torso was discovered by a person scavenging at the dump along with a limb in a bucket.
Bhagwandeen said investigations are continuing to search for more body parts in the area.
The remains were removed from the site shortly before 3 pm.
It was not immediately known how many people the remains belonged to, how long they had been inside the buckets or where they came from.
Police are expected to conduct forensic examinations to determine the identity of the deceased and establish the circumstances surrounding the death.
The Forres Park landfill is operated by the Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company Ltd (SWMCOL) and receives municipal and commercial waste.
The landfill also provides a livelihood for scores of people who recover and sell scrap metal and other recyclable materials from discarded waste.
