Dead boy in suitcase stuns Sydney

The children initially thought the case contained a dead pig

The discovery of a young boy's body in a suitcase which was fished out of a pond by children has shocked Australia.

The children first thought they had found a dead pig, Sydney police said. The victim is thought to have been aged between four and eight.

Police are scouring schools for missing children after the grim discovery in the suburb of Ambarvale on Wednesday.

New South Wales state Premier Morris Iemma said the find of the naked body, wrapped in plastic, was "monstrous".

'Shockwaves'

One of the children who found the body said on Australian television: "We were riding on our scooters when a friend came up and said there was a dead pig down at the duck pond, so we went down to see.

"Me and my friend got sticks and flipped it over and then we saw that there was feet, so we went up to our houses to call the police."

Investigators said it was possible the child could have come from anywhere in Australia.

Police believe the suitcase had been floating in the pond for at least two days.

"Put simply, this is one of the most monstrous acts imaginable," the New South Wales premier told reporters on Thursday.

"The horrific discovery by a group of small children has understandably sent shockwaves through the local community," he added.