Mummified body discovered in air duct at French bank

LYON, France -- Police and firefighters were attempting Tuesday to dislodge the mummified body of a man trapped inside an air duct at a French bank.

Lyon Capitale reported that investigators were unsure if the half-rotted corpse was a trapped worker, a burglar who was attempting to sneak inside the building or a vagrant looking for shelter at the branch of Credit Foncier in Lyon, eastern France.

Workers at the bank had complained since the end of last summer about a bad smell emanating from the air vent, prompting an inspection by maintenance workers and the gruesome discovery Monday.

The body was located in a bend in the ducting, which measures just 20 inches (50 centimeters) across and leads from the roof to a staff bathroom. Cops were hoping to prise it out in one piece to help the identification process.