(London) Human remains have been discovered in two suitcases on the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, western England, local police said Thursday, as they search for a man spotted on the bridge overnight.
Shortly before midnight on Wednesday night, police received a report of “a man with a suitcase acting suspiciously on the Clifton Suspension Bridge,” Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement.
Officers were quickly dispatched to the scene, but “the man had already left the area, leaving the suitcase behind. A second one was found not far away shortly after,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we believe the suitcases contain human remains,” the statement added, specifying that an investigation is underway with the “immediate priority” of identifying these remains and finding the man in question.
“Initial investigations have established that the man arrived at the bridge in a taxi. The vehicle has been seized and the driver is assisting us in our investigation,” said Acting Local Police Commander Vicks Hayward-Melen.
Speaking to reporters later, she showed a screenshot from a CCTV camera showing the man she was looking for: a black man with a beard, dressed in black and wearing a cap. Police were still trying to establish his identity, she said.
Specialist teams are also still working to search the area around the bridge, where traffic is still closed.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge spans the River Avon and connects Bristol to Somerset. Over 400 metres long and over 70 metres above the water, it is a much-visited landmark of this city in the west of England.