Jakarta – Police found the remains of at least 34 foetuses yesterday at a burial site on the southern outskirts of Jakarta.

Police forensic expert Mun-Iem Idris said the foetuses, between three and seven months old, were believed to have been buried not far below ground-level in the past few months by a team of illegal abortionists working in the area.

He said that local residents had uncovered the site and alerted police to its presence. "This must be stopped, it is murder," Dr Mun-Iem said.

Abortion is illegal in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, but it has reportedly become a common practice in recent years.