Eight babies' bodies found in Germany town Published duration 13 November 2015

image copyright AFP image caption Examinations are now under way, but with the bodies in poor condition, the results are expected only next week

German police say the bodies of eight babies have been found in a flat in a town in the southern Bavaria state.

The bodies, wrapped in towels and put in plastic bags, were discovered on Thursday after a woman in the town of Wallenfels raised the alarm.

Police said they were yet to interview the previous occupant of the residence, a 45-year-old woman.

Examinations are under way, but with the bodies in poor condition, the results are expected only next week.

media caption A large coffin was placed into a hearse outside the house in Wallenfels on Thursday evening

It is not clear how long the bodies had been there for or how the babies died.

Earlier on Friday, police reported about seven bodies - but the eighth body was later discovered in the flat.

German media reported that a couple with several children had been living in the property but had recently separated.

The woman sought by police worked at a newspaper kiosk and also as a lifeguard at a swimming pool, unconfirmed reports say.

Wallenfels Mayor Jens Korn told inFranken.de that residents of the town near the Czech border were stunned.

"This incident has occurred in this safe little world and now many people here are touched and sad about it," he said.

Germany has seen several cases of infanticide in recent years.

Last year, a woman was convicted of killing two of her children and hiding their bodies in a freezer, while the bodies of nine new-born babies were discovered hidden in flower pots in a town close to the Polish border in 2005.