An unclaimed body was found lying in a highly decomposed state in the mortuary of a government hospital in Indore due to alleged negligence of staffers, prompting authorities to order a probe into the matter.

The matter came to light after a picture of the body, which looked liked a skeleton, surfaced on social media.

In the picture, the body was seen lying on a stretcher at the Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Sanyogitaganj area here in Madhya Pradesh.

"We have formed a committee for a probe into the matter. Strict action will be taken against any employee found guilty," MYH superintendent Dr Pramendra Thakur told PTI on Wednesday.

Thakur, however, did not reveal the deceased's identity and when the body was brought to the hospital's mortuary.

When contacted, Sanyogitaganj police station in-charge Rajiv Tripathi said, "Only MYH management can answer how and when the unclaimed body was brought to the hospital's mortuary."

He said the last rites of all unclaimed bodies found in the recent past in Sanyogitaganj police station limits were performed after completion of legal procedures.