A man's body has been retrieved from the River Avon New Cut in Bedminster this morning.
Emergency services were called to York Road just after 7.30am when a passer-by spotted a person in the mud close to the Langton Street Bridge.
Police, ambulance and fire and rescue crews arrived and the main road and the bridge were cordoned off as a rescue operation got underway.
Crews from Bedminster and Temple fire stations used specialist mud rescue equipment and found the body of a man.
It is not yet known how long he had been in the river, or the circumstances of how he ended up there.
Avon Fire and Rescue service said that after retrieving the body, he was handed over into the care of the police.
The operation and initial investigation lasted around three hours, and the road and the bridge was reopened at around 10.30am.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset confirmed the grim discovery.
"We received a call at approximately 7.30am this morning to reports of a person in the water in the Bedminster area," she said.
"Avon Fire and Rescue Service led an operation to recover the casualty and brought him back to the riverbank, where sadly he was pronounced dead.
"Officers remain at the scene and road closures were in place.
"Although our investigation is at an early stage, we do not consider the circumstances to be suspicious. Formal identification has yet to take place. The coroner has been informed," she added.
