A stench at a house in Vlakfontein, Johannesburg, led police to a grim discovery on Monday.

The bodies of seven people – three women and four children – were discovered buried under a pile of sand in a bedroom of the house.

The children were aged between two and 11, police spokesperson Mavela Masondo said in a statement.

A woman and three children were found buried underneath the sand. Police proceeded to a back room in the same yard where three more bodies, two women and a child, were discovered, also buried beneath sand, Masondo said.

Police are now investigating seven cases of murder.

Police officers responded to a complaint from a community member on Monday after a resident reported a stench coming from the house.

A man alleged to have been staying with the deceased has since been taken in by police for questioning. 

According to Masondo, police were searching for a second man who could "assist with the investigation".

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