A police spokesman on the east Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus says a suitcase containing decomposing human remains has been dragged out of a toxic lake.

Andreas Angelides said Tuesday's discovery is a "major development" in the unfolding investigation of a Cypriot army captain who has confessed to the killing of seven foreign women and girls.

Angelides said coroners examined the body at the scene while more specialized tests will be carried out to determine the person's identity.

This is the third suitcase containing a body that has been retrieved from the lake following a six-week search.

The 35 year-old suspect had told investigators that he disposed of the bodies of a Filipino woman and a Romanian mother and daughter in the lake after placing their bodies in suitcases.