The body of an elderly man was recovered in the uMvoti River in KZN, yesterday, and it is believed to be that of a 60-year-old man who had been missing for about a week.

Samantha Meyrick of IPSS Medical Rescue says the body was seen on a small island in the river by community members, who then alerted local authorities, including IPSS Search and Rescue, Umhlali SAPS Search-and-Rescue and Glendale SAPS.

Rescue teams employed an inflatable raft and a rope system to access the island and retrieve the deceased.

The advanced state of decomposition made it difficult to immediately ascertain the cause of death.

The body was handed over to Glendale police for further investigation.