BMADAIN, Iraq: Reuters reported quoting a number of residents of As-Saweyrah city, situated opposite to Al-Madain city, that they have seen about one hundred dead bodies on river Tigris near their city, online Shia News Agency, Iraq-based Wikalah Net and Kerbala News said.

The witnesses hinted that these dead bodies may be of the hostages who were abducted in Al-Madain city by armed terrorists last Friday.

Hundreds of Iraqi security forces backed by US troops launched an operation on Sunday in Madain finding weapons and car bombs but no hostages.

"The whole city is under control. We've secured houses where people said there were hostages. We could not find any. I don't think we'll find any," said Iraqi Brigadier General Muhammad Sabri Latif.

"I think they (gunmen) ran away to the other side of the river. Possibly they took hostages with them." said Latif.

According to US Lieutenant Colonel Michael Johnson "They (terrorists) have either left or just laying low.”

Johnson said Iraqi forces were pushing south of the city along the Tigris to sweep through villages in the region.

Sunday, one defense ministry official had said that police had entered Madain, met "severe resistance" from terrorists but recaptured half the town and freed as many as 15 families.

But this was later denied by other officials who denied any hostages had been found and acknowledged that an all-out offensive against the gunmen had been postponed.

Iraqi forces said they had found a "terrorist training camp" in the city, suggested there had been up to 100 terrorists in the area while authorities said they had found two car bombs, ready for use, at a local farm.

National Security Minister Qassim Dawoud said Iraqi forces had discovered mines, ammunition, bomb-making equipment, rooms prepared for execution operations, and camps to train terrorists along with six completed car bombs in Madain.

An Iraqi source said that 12 corpses of Madain hostages have been found from a chicken farm in the region.

Meanwhile, Al-Halem News reported that chief of Waset Council Majid Ali Askar confirmed in a statement to news agencies that more than 100 dead bodies have been found by Iraqi forces in As-Saweyrah city.

Askar on 18 April visited Al-Horyah city along with a group of journalists and newsmen and met with the families who have migrated from Al-Madain due to pressure of the terrorists. The newsmen interviewed the families.

Other news reports said the hostages have been transferred from Madain to Baquba through 25 vehicles.