South African police in Limpopo are on the hunt for the people behind the death of a person whose body was discovered in a burned-out BMW in the early hours of Wednesday.

A passer-by alerted fire and rescue services of a vehicle on fire in the bush along the N1 freeway between Modimolle and Bela-Bela, said Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.

When officers arrived at the scene, the fire had already been extinguished. The body in the driver’s seat was burned beyond recognition.

During further investigations, a shotgun was discovered in the grass a few metres from the scene, Mojapelo said.

“The circumstances that led to this incident are still being investigated. The process of determining the identity of the deceased through DNA is still unfolding, and the recovered firearm will be sent for ballistic examination.”