KUANTAN (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian police have denied news reports stating that DNA test results have identified the body found in Pulau Tioman as that of Briton Gareth David Huntley.

Pahang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Zakaria Ahmad said on Friday the DNA test was still ongoing and no results were available yet.

A local news outlet had reported earlier in the day that DNA test results have confirmed that the identity of the body found on Wednesday was Huntley.

Pahang police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Sharifuddin Ab Ghani also said he did not make any such statement and would call a press conference once the DNA results were known.

On Wednesday, rescuers returning from the jungle during their search for Huntley stumbled upon the decomposed body in the Mentawak River, about 20m from a kayak storage unit at the Juara Lagoon chalet.

The area is at the foot of one of the paths to the Lubuk Teja waterfall where the 34-year-old Huntley was heading to before he went missing on May 27.