Authorities on Sunday confirmed that the body sighted at the bottom of Kaieteur Falls is that of Gyaneshwarie Sivanand, according to a well-placed source.

A senior official said police and soldiers were expected to retrieve the body later Sunday. Routinely, an autopsy would be performed on the remains.

"Police and army are going in and the park is being closed temporarily until police are finished with further investigations and the body is recovered," said the source.

The woman, who was one of nine persons on an Air Services Limited (ASL)-organised tour of the Kaieteur National Park on September 1, went missing before the end of the two-hour visit.

An eight-day search by police, soldiers, park rangers and others had turned up empty handed and the operation had been downgraded on September 9 to a look-out for the woman or any of her belongings.

Several stakeholder agencies in government and the private sector have agreed to strengthen security measures including the creation of a special register for visitors and the possible erection of rails around certain areas of the falls.