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Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago have launched an investigation following the grim discovery of 56 bodies, predominantly those of infants, found abandoned at a cemetery in the nation.

The Caribbean nation, consisting of two islands, is grappling with a surge in crime rates, including violent gang-related incidents, which led officials to prolong the current state of emergency last month.

The unsettling find occurred on Saturday at a cemetery in Cumuto, located roughly 40 kilometers east of Trinidad’s capital city, Port of Spain.

According to a police report, the majority of the bodies, 50 in total, were infants, while the rest included four men and two women.

Law enforcement revealed that five of the adult bodies bore toe tags typical of those used in morgues, and signs of autopsies were evident on one man and one woman. Details regarding the identification of the bodies have yet to be disclosed.

Police said they were working to determine the origin of the human remains and any associated breaches of law or procedure.

“Every cadaver must be handled with dignity and lawful care,” police commissioner Allister Guevarro said in a statement.

“Any individual or institution found to have violated that duty will be held fully accountable.”

The government of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has started a crackdown on violent crime in the Caribbean nation.

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