A young Bahraini Shiite missing for 48 hours has been found dead, sparking conflicting reports Saturday over his death as the government said he had drowned while the opposition insisted he died in custody.

"On Friday, police received a call reporting a dead body found at Amwaj islands. Police responded to the scene and it was determined that the body was that of Yousif Ahmed Abbas," the interior ministry said in a statement.

"An autopsy performed by the medical examiner determined that Abbas (missing since Wednesday) had been dead for more than 24 hours and that the cause of death was drowning," said the English-language statement received by AFP.