Body laid in Vienna cellar found after 25 years: police

A body found by construction workers in a Vienna apartment block cellar had laid there for 25 years, police said on Tuesday.

Workers found the decomposing body wrapped in plastic bags buried in the ground of the cellar in the Austrian capital's Margareten district in April. Authorities were alerted to a foul smell in the building.

Extensive forensic and scientific examinations indicated that the man -- who is believed to have been about 30 years old -- was a victim of a homicide and "has been buried at the site for about 25 years", police said in a statement.

Photos of the man's burgundy tracksuit were published on Tuesday in a bid to gather more clues.

"Despite international police cooperation and database comparisons, the identity of the unknown victim has not been established to date," the statement added.

Workers had been excavating the basement to prepare for a new concrete floor, media reported.