Four bodies have been found on board a Turkish-flagged ship that was sent from Taiwan back to Turkey, Turkish media reported.
The bodies found on board the 52,000-dwt bulker are believed to belong to refugees or stowaway and are reported to had been detected during maintenance work in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese authorities apparently returned the ship to Turkey and the vessel has docked at Iskenderun, where the local prosecution office has launched investigation into the matter.
Preliminary reports indicate that the already decomposed bodies might have been locked in the engine room compartment for five years.
The ship identified as IDC Pearl, is operated by Turkish company Izmir Demir Celik.
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