The body was sighted at 06:00 by the captain of a boat that sails between the two banks of the river.

The body was removed from the river and taken away to the coroner’s office, the spokesman said.

Fernando Pereira da Fonseca said it was not possible to say if the body was that of an American tourist who disappeared after falling into the river at the beginning of the month near the Urban disco.

“Because of the state of decomposition, the body cannot be identified without conducting tests”, he said.

At the beginning of the month, the authorities were alerted by a witness who said he had seen a youth fall into the water and disappear.

The police and firefighters conducted searches at the time but were unsuccessful.