Suitcases containing 'human remains' dumped on famous UK bridge

A manhunt was underway in the UK on Thursday after two suitcases, both believed to contain human remains, were dumped on one of the country's most famous bridges, police said.

Avon and Somerset Police received a report late on Wednesday night of a man with a suitcase acting suspiciously on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, southwest England.

Officers arrived at the scene around 10 minutes later, but the man had fled, He did, however, leave the suitcase and police found a second suitcase shortly afterwards.

"Sadly, it's believed the suitcases contain human remains," said the statement.

Police chief Vicks Hayward-Melen called it "a very disturbing incident".

"Our immediate priority is to locate the man who took the suitcases to the bridge, identify the deceased, and inform their next of kin," she added.

Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by the pioneering engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is one of the oldest surviving suspension bridges in the world.

Opened in 1864, the bridge over the Avon Gorge is one of Bristol's top tourist attractions and a symbol of the city.