Villagers in Russia's south Urals region stumbled upon a gruesome discovery: four barrels containing 248 human fetuses left in a forest.
    
Police say they were kept in barrels with tags marked with surnames and numbers and preserved in formaldehyde.
    
Meanwhile, police have started an investigation. They believe the barrels may have come from four local hospitals.

The fetuses have been placed in a local morgue.
   
The Russian Orthodox Church says the discovery shows how Russian society has degraded.