Man presumed dead in Murrumbidgee River

Police are working to recover the body of a man who went missing in the Murrumbidgee River in western NSW on Christmas Day.

The man, who is said to be an Iranian asylum seeker, went missing while swimming in the river at Oura Beach, about 15km east of Wagga Wagga, on Thursday evening.

The 25-year-old man was swept down river while his friend, aged in his 20s, managed to scramble to safety and contact emergency services.

Rescue volunteers and police divers searched the area on Thursday, Friday and Saturday but couldn't find the missing man.

A NSW police spokeswoman told AAP the search for the man would continue on Sunday.

She said the search was now "focusing on the recovery" of the man's body.