A body was found yesterday during a search for an elderly man missing from his home.
Police and other emergency workers launched a search near Clachnaharry locks in Inverness in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The 84-year-old, who has not yet been named by police, was reported missing by concerned family members.
His abandoned car was later found in a car park in the area which is known locally as The Point.
Emergency crews initially spent two hours searching for the pensioner during the night.
The alarm was first raised in the early hours of Sunday morning with the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter Rescue 951 from Inverness deployed to the scene shortly after 2.45am, joining rescue teams from Inverness and Nairn, as well as the crew from the Kessock lifeboat.
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The operation was stood down then resumed in daylight at 9:30am.
Police later confirmed that a body had been found by fire crews and that a specialist police diving team was then called for from Aberdeen.
It is understood that the death was not suspicious.
A police cordon was put in place around 300 meters from the canal lock to protect the area.
One local resident said: “I heard the helicopter flying about this morning for about an hour between 10am and 11am, searching the whole area, and I also heard a rake of cars coming in from the Beauly road but we have not been told anything.”
Numerous dog walkers, joggers and local residents were turned away from the area as emergency crews worked at the search scene.
Searchers could be seen wading into the water and fire crews worked on the canal in a small dingy.
