St Poelten, Austria  - The trial of incest father Josef Fritzl began Monday in the Austrian town of St Poelten.

The 73-year-old is accused of having kept his daughter Elizabeth locked in the cellar of his house in Amstetten for 24 years, where he is said to have raped her several thousand times.

The daughter gave birth to seven children in the windowless cellar, six of whom survived.

Fritzl is accused of repeated rape, incest, false imprisonment and slavery.

The prosecution has also broadened the case to include murder through the withholding of aid, with regard to the baby that died in the cellar without being granted medical assistance.