Dili – The mutilated and charred remains of at least nine people were discovered in a burnt-out pickup truck on the outskirts of Dili Wednesday, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

The truck, which was found surrounded by clapped out buses in a scrapyard two kilometres west of the city, contained the skulls and rib cages of nine bodies which appeared to have suffered severe machete wounds.

One of the sets of remains appeared to be that of a child. The top of another skull had been sliced off: the mouth was wide open as if the victim had died screaming in agony. The rib cage of one of the other sets of remains had been sliced open.