At least 189 bodies found at US 'green' funeral home

At least 189 bodies have been removed from The Return to Nature Funeral Home

At least 189 decaying bodies were removed from a Colorado funeral home that offers green burial services - up from the initial 115 reported two weeks ago, officials said.

Authorities were initially alerted after reports of a foul odour coming from The Return to Nature funeral home.

One official described the scene as "horrific"and "hazardous".

The FBI is helping with the identification of the newly found bodies.

Located in Penrose, Colorado - about 30 miles (48km) south of Colorado Springs - the funeral home specialises in burials where no chemicals, including embalming fluid, are used and where remains are buried in a biodegradable casket.

The dozens of extra human remains were removed on 13 October and transported to the El Paso County Coroner's Office. Officials said the body count could change further as efforts to identify the bodies go on.

"While the investigation for this incident continues, we also remain focused on the impacted families," said Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper. "We want to do all we can to provide the families the support they need as we shift to the next phase in this process."

The funeral home came under investigation after officials discovered 115 bodies on the property in early October. Jon Hallford, the owner of the funeral home, was accused by officials of attempting to conceal the "improper storage of human remains".

Green funerals are allowed in the state but remains must be buried within 24 hours or be properly refrigerated.

Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller previously warned that identifying the bodies would be a "very lengthy process" because of the need to obtain forensic information such as fingerprints and DNA.