Hungarian police find bodies, buried alive

Hungarian police said Friday they had found four bodies in a forest in a southern suburb of Budapest, which according to the media had been half-buried alive. "The National Investigation Office yesterday unearthed four bodies" on Csepel island in south Budapest, the police said in a statement. "The exact reason, time and circumstances of the death of the victims are being examined by forensic experts," they said, adding they had started an investigation for murder and would not disclose further information. On Friday, Hungarian media reported that several bodies had been found on the island apparently buried up to their necks. The daily Magyar Nemzet also published the account of a man who claimed to have escaped his would-be killers. According to the man, the perpetrators -- a man and a homeless couple living in the forest -- lured him to the couple's forest hut, where they attacked him. They took his valuables, including his bank card, and buried him up to his neck in the ground, to prevent him from escaping before they used his card to withdraw money, the man said. However, while the three were away, he succeeded in freeing himself and warned the authorities about further victims. They were caught within 24 hours of his reporting the crime, he added.