BRUNSSUM - The Limburg investigation services are conducting a large-scale search for a buried corpse at an industrial site in Brunssum. This includes the use of an excavator and search dogs. This investigation got underway after a tip came in to investigators.

The property on Slesinger Street, which borders a small forest, has been hermetically sealed off by investigators. On Thursday, investigators' attention focused on a spot in the corner of the many tens of meters of land, where until recently two company warehouses stood. Each piece is minutely checked and examined by men in white suits. Today the search continues.

According to sources surrounding the investigation, a search is also underway for the possible presence of explosives, drugs and batches of cash allegedly hidden in the ground. At the same spot where excavations are now taking place, police and the justice department discovered a drug lab with equipment to make ecstasy pills in early March.

Also found were 55 kilograms of xtc, 45 barrels of chemical waste, 200,000 euros in cash in buried rain barrels and a firearm with ammunition. In the process, the residents, 54-year-old Cor V. and his partner Jeanny (48) were arrested. The latter has since been released, but remains a suspect.

Stef Bergmans, Cor V.'s lawyer, confirms that his client was informed by the investigators in the jail about the digging work. "He was told that a sniffer dog smelled dead bodies on the grounds and that they were therefore looking for a buried corpse," Bergmans says. "However, my client states that he does not know anything about a dead body. We are awaiting the investigation."