A total of 390 pieces of bones and skeletal remains of children were found in a pit at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district on Saturday, police said.

The bones were found in a pit behind the operation theatre of the missionary hospital,

Superintendent of Police Satish Saxena said.

"Though the bones seem to belong to new-born children or aborted foetuses, it is difficult to ascertain the age of the children as the skeletons are not intact," he said.

The area was sealed off and samples were sent to the state forensic laboratory for tests, Saxena said.