By JESSICA DURANDO From STUFF NZ

Russian police have launched an investigation after a mysterious bag of 54 severed human hands was discovered at a popular fishing spot near the Siberian city of Khabarovsk, the Siberian Times reports.

A single hand was spotted first, and then the bag containing the remains was found on an island in the Amur River, about 32 kilometres from the Chinese border.

It is unclear why the hands were chopped off and police do not know who they belonged to. Several “pairs” of hands were among those found.

A single hand was spotted first, and then the bag containing the remains was found on an island in the Amur River, about 32km from the Chinese border.

At least one hand has fingerprints that authorities are checking, according to the Siberian Times.

Local media reported that medical bandages and hospital-style plastic shoe covers were found next to the remains.

The Siberian Times reported that investigators suspected that the hands were from a forensic laboratory or a hospital and were improperly discarded.

In Russia, the hands of unidentified corpses are sometimes severed in order to retain fingerprints for identification after the burial. However, it is unclear why both hands of corpses would be cut off when only one would be needed for identification.

IMAGE: A single hand was spotted first, and then the bag containing the remains was found on an island in the Amur River, about …
GETTY IMAGES

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