The body of an infant was discovered in a bag on Tuesday afternoon in Le Quesnoy, northern France, near the Belgian border, French news agency AFP reported.
The body was found in an apartment hit by fire earlier in the day, AFP learned from a source close to the investigation.
The fire had broken out in the apartment at around midday, the source told the French news agency, confirming a report in La Voix du Nord newspaper.
"The apartment was empty of occupants," so there were "no injuries," but "the roof structure was threatening to collapse," AFP quoted the source as saying. Firefighters then "carried out a thorough search to secure the site."
They discovered "a bag with a very strong odour" and found the body of an infant at around 5:00 p.m., according to the source, who added that a magistrate had been dispatched to the scene.
