An 82-year-old man from Kerala became the oldest liver donor in south India, officials said on Tuesday.

The donor, Vikraman, was declared brain dead after an accident late last month. The cadaveric liver transplant took place at the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences here.

The recipient was a 44-year-old man from Kollam, who is now recovering.

M.I. Sahadulla, CMD of KIMS, said Vikraman was quite healthy with no other ailment.

"The noble gesture of his family has given a fresh lease of life to the recipient who had been ailing from a chronic liver disease for the past several years," said Sahadulla.

He added that soon after Vikraman's family expressed their willingness, the nodal agency of the state government completed all the legal formalities for the transplant and the surgery took place which lasted 12 hours.