Metropolitan Police sent photos to the family for identification. / Photo: AA

The body of 48-year-old Turkish academic Orhan Ekren, who went missing in late November, was found in Regent's Canal in London, his family has said.

His body was found near where the last signal was received on a mobile app used by the family to track each other's locations, his wife Banu Ekren told Anadolu.

On December 15, a man’s body was pulled from Regent’s Canal near London Zoo around 1000 GMT after officers were called to the scene.

Metropolitan Police sent photos to the family for identification, completed on December 17, said Ekren.

She added that an autopsy is underway and the funeral would be held in the Aegean city Izmir in Türkiye after they receive the body.

The Metropolitan Police intensified their search efforts after his dark backpack was found near the canal the day after his disappearance.

AA