Hong Kong police have launched an animal cruelty investigation after two puppies were found dead on a shopping centre rooftop in Cheung Sha Wan.

Police said they received multiple reports from residents alerting them to the dead animals at Lai Kok Shopping Centre on Thursday morning.

The force and members from the Fire Services Department who arrived on site confirmed that both puppies were dead and that their bodies were covered in blood.

Police and members from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) also confirmed that both mongrel puppies were female and around one to two months old.

The SPCA added that they, along with police, considered the case as unusual and doubted that the two puppies had been cruelly treated.

The dead animals were sent to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for autopsy to determine the cause of death.