Body of Russian swimmer found months after vanishing during cross-continental race

The body of a Russian athlete who went missing during the annual Bosphorus cross-continental swimming race in Istanbul, has been found, Russia's consulate said on Thursday.

"The Consulate General of Russia in Istanbul regrets to report that, according to the results of the DNA examination, the body found on January 20 ... belongs to the Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov," it said in a statement sent to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The 29-year-old professional swimming coach had joined the 4-mil) swim between Asia and Europe on August 24 alongside more than 2,800 participants from 81 countries. 

But the Turkish Olympic Committee, which organized the event, later said he "went missing during the race." His disappearance was only noticed several hours after the event, RIA Novosti reported.

The Istanbul governor's office said security footage and the timing chip attached to his foot showed he started the race, but he "had not made it to the finish line."

Despite days of searches by the coastguard and the maritime police, his body was never found.

But on Tuesday morning, police found the body of a man "near the Bebek embankment" not far from where the race ended, the consulate said, with DNA testing confirming it was that of the missing swimmer.

The Istanbul public prosecutor's office, which had opened a probe into the swimmer's disappearance, had on Wednesday confirmed a body had been found with "no head, no feet and no arms."

It was also found to be "wearing a swimsuit," suggesting it was likely that of Svechnikov, it added.

Alperen Çakmak, a lawyer representing Svechnikov's family, told RIA Novosti that he expects an ongoing police investigation to proceed quickly.

"We'll do everything to identify all those involved and guilty of negligence in organizing this event," Çakmak said. "There's a separate legal process regarding compensation, which we'll continue to demand from the organizers."

During the annual race, the Bosphorus Strait,  one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, is temporarily closed to traffic, with swimmers entering the water at Kanlica on the Asian side and racing to Kurucesme on the European side.

According to the official race website, they have a time limit of two hours to complete the course, with the Turkish coast guard picking up anyone who does not finish within that time.

Some of the swimmers in the event criticized the race for allegedly having insufficient monitoring and not enough rescue boats along the course, the Moscow Times reported.

Istanbul prosecutors had opened an investigation into the incident.