Gardaí sift through thousands of tonnes of rubbish in human-leg probe

Gardaí are continuing to sift through thousands of tonnes of rubbish at a waste unit in Dublin, after body parts belonging to a man were discovered last week.

DNA tests are being carried out on a dismembered leg and pelvis found by workers in a bin at Thornton's Recycling Plant in Ballyfermot on Thursday night.

Gardaí have recovered other parts, believed to be human flesh and bones during their search this weekend. No other identifiable limbs have been found, they said in a statement.

A post mortem carried out on Friday proved inconclusive, though gardaí say the parts are male and from the same person.

A theory that the parts may be medical waste cannot as yet be supported, and gardaí are concerned a murder may have been committed and the victim's body parts dumped.

The Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis has not yet been able to establish a cause of death.

A forensic anthropologist has now also been called in to assist with the investigations.