A body has been found among piles of rubbish at a waste treatment plant in Jerez de la Frontera.
The corpse was found shortly before 10am on Wednesday at the Las Calandrias facility while staff were carrying out their usual sorting work.
According to the Policia Nacional, the alarm was raised at 9.50am when workers spotted the body as heavy machinery was moving and separating waste.
Operations at the plant were immediately halted while officers secured the area to preserve potential evidence.
Early examinations suggest the body belongs to a middle-aged man of African origin, although his identity has not yet been confirmed.
The case is now being handled by the Specialised and Violent Crime Unit (UDEV), with support from forensic officers who spent hours examining the site.
One of the key questions investigators are trying to answer is how the body ended up at the facility.
The Las Calandrias plant processes rubbish from several towns in the province, including Jerez, El Puerto and Arcos, meaning detectives will need to trace where the waste collection truck carrying the body originated.
So far, police say no missing person report matches the description of the man found, and all possibilities remain open.
Authorities are waiting for the results of a full autopsy, which will be carried out at the Institute of Legal Medicine, to determine whether the death was accidental or if there are signs of a crime.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
