Irish police have discovered “partial body remains” in a burnt out car in Dublin which are believed to be linked to human limbs found in a bag earlier this week.

Fire services were alerted to a car on fire around 1.30am on Wednesday morning in Drumcondra, north Dublin, and the human remains were discovered in the boot.

According to local reports, there are fears the body parts found over the course of the week may have belonged to a teenager who was missing since Sunday.

The 17-year-old from Drogheda, Co Louth, has been linked to one of two drug gangs involved in a feud in Drogheda, reported the Irish Times.

A plastic bag of human limbs, believed to contain arms and legs, and part of a torso was found on Monday night in the suburban area of Coolock.

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The grim discovery was made just hours after the teenager’s family reportedly began posting on social media seeking information on his whereabouts.

Irish police, also known as Gardai, said: “Gardai is currently at the scene of a burnt out vehicle that was located on Trinity Terrace, off Clonliffe Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin 3 in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday 15th January 2020.

“Partial body remains have been located in this burnt out vehicle and due to the nature of the incident it will be some time before proper identification can be confirmed.

“The Garda Technical Bureau have been notified and the Office of the State Pathologist and the Coroner have been notified. The assistance of Forensic Science Ireland will also be sought.

“Investigations ongoing and no further comment will be made at this time.”

The remains, which are believed to be the rest of the body, will be tested for DNA to determine if it matches the limbs.

The vehicle was found in the constituency of Paschal Donohoe, Northern Ireland’s Minister for Finance.

He said during an interview with RTE’s Morning Ireland radio show: “There’s a family now dealing with intense grief.