Two Chinese students found murdered in a flat suffered severe head injuries, police said.
The man and woman were found in separate bedrooms of a ground floor flat in Croydon Road in Newcastle's West End, around 4.30pm on Saturday.
A source said the crime scene was "gruesome". It was understood that the nature of the injuries meant police were unable to say what weapon was used.
Neither the man, who was found lying on the bed in the back bedroom, nor the woman, discovered on a bed in the front bedroom, has been formally identified.
Northumbria Police said it was thought that both were students. Officers were trying to contact their next of kin.
A spokesman said: "The pair had both suffered significant head injuries."
The cause of death has not been determined, and post-mortem examinations will be carried out at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Detective Superintendent Steve Wade, a senior murder investigator, was at the scene. Forensic officers were back in the two-bedroom property, searching for evidence.
A silver hatchback was taken from outside the flat on a truck on Saturday night, as forensic experts in white suits watched.
Croydon Road, which is in the heart of an area of terraced streets popular with students and Asian families, was cordoned off.
