Police in Papua New Guinea say four women, believed by fellow villagers to have used sorcery to cause a fatal road crash, have been tortured with hot metal rods to confess, then murdered and buried standing up in a pit.
The National newspaper says police have only just uncovered the grisly murders, which occured last October near the town of Goroka in the jungle-clad highlands some 400 kilometres north of the capital, Port Moresby.
Black magic is widespread in the South Pacific nation where most of the 5.1 million population live subsistence lives. Women suspected of being witches are often hanged or burnt to death.
Local police commander Chief Inspector David Seine told the newspaper that people in the village of Kamex accused the four women of sorcery after a road crash killed three prison officers.
The women were reportedly tortured into admission by being stabbed with hot metal rods, said Chief Insp Seine.
It appeared the women were blindfolded with thick sticky tape strapped across their faces and mouths and their hands had been tied before they were murdered, he said.
Chief Insp Seine said the women were buried in an old narrow toilet pit in the standing position.
The pit was then covered with soil and two old vehicle tyres placed on the top.
"They planted a banana tree on top of the pit with fresh grass making it difficult for anyone to discover the site, but police got to it with the help of some elders from the village," he said.
- Reuters
Papua New Guinea

Villagers near the town of Goroka in the jungle-covered highlands about 400 kilometres north of the capital Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea killed four women they believed to be witches. They tortured the women by stabbing them with hot rods so they would confess to causing a road crash using sorcery. The accident had resulted in the death of three prison guards. The villagers hid the bodies in an old pit. 

With the help of some village elders, police have now discovered these murders which occurred in October of last year. BBC News reports human rights campaigners saying that it is not uncommon in Papua New Guinea for women suspected of engaging in black magic to be killed, often by hanging or burning.