The men have been identified as 32-year-old Marvin Bloomfield and Delroy Smith, 31, both of Watson Grove in Caymanas, St Catherine.

Police say the bodies were discovered about 6:30 a.m. by passers-by. They had several stab and chop wounds.

Set to surpass last year

There are only two weeks left in the year and it appears the murder toll is set to surpass last year's total of 1,574. Approximately 1,543 people had been killed up to midnight December 7, officials say.

Children and women continue to form an increasingly significant portion of those murdered each month with police data showing nine children and seven women among the 122 people killed in November.

Government suggested tough legislation to tackle the continued rising crime in the island earlier this year, including a controversial proposal to increase the number of days a suspect can be detained without bail to 60.

The bill has continued to receive flak from human-rights advocates and lawyers. It was returned to the joint select committee of parliament, which is considering the proposals, without a signature from the Opposition People's National Party.