Police in Trinidad and Tobago investigate after 56 bodies are found dumped at a cemetery

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Police in Trinidad and Tobago said they were investigating after 56 bodies — mainly of infants — were found dumped at one of the country's cemeteries on Saturday.

The twin-island Caribbean nation has been struggling with surging crime, including deadly gang violence, which prompted authorities to extend an existing state of emergency last month.

The gruesome discovery was made at the cemetery in the town of Cumuto on Trinidad, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the capital, Port of Spain.

According to a police statement, 50 bodies were of infants while the remaining were of four men and two women. Police said five of the adults had toe tags, such as those found in morgues, and that a man's and a woman's body has signs of an autopsy. They did not immediately say if any of the bodies had been identified.

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.”