The remains of four dead infants have been discovered in a storage locker in the western Canada city of Winnipeg, police said on Tuesday, though it remains unclear whether the deaths could be deemed as homicides.

On Monday, police were contacted by concerned U-Haul employees after they found corpses of what appeared to be the remains of up to four babies while taking inventory of a delinquent storage locker, Winnipeg official Eric Hofley said.

But it was unclear whether the bodies were of three or four babies since the corpses were so decomposed, police said, adding that the age of the victims and the cause of their death also remained a mystery, according to Agence France-Presse.

"The remains were in a state such that it is not obvious yet whether we are dealing with four separate remains. That will be done at autopsy, but my understanding is we are discussing very young infants, certainly not children. Newborns," Hofley told a press conference, describing the discovery as "disturbing" and "tragic beyond belief."

"It's too early to say what has transpired," he said, adding that police were unaware of any missing reports in the city which would link them to the identity of the infants.

As part of their investigation into the gruesome discovery, police said they are "speaking with a number of individuals of interest." However, they chose to remain tight-lipped since any wrong moves could jeopardize the investigation at such an early stage.

It was also unclear if "foul play" was involved but even if it was, Hofley added, "Obviously, you're not allowed to store, to conceal human remains. That, in itself, would be a charge."

Meanwhile, the U-Haul storage locker facility was cleared on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Razmin Mansoub, president of U-Haul Company of Central Canada, said the remains were found by employees.

"U-Haul team members made a disturbing discovery when taking inventory of a delinquent storage locker on Monday," Mansoub said in an emailed statement. "They immediately contacted law enforcement who believed the locker contained human remains."

"U-Haul is deeply shocked and saddened by this discovery. Out of respect for the ongoing investigation, U-Haul cannot comment with any further details. We will continue to fully co-operate with authorities."