A body has been found in the search for Aziz Ziriat and Sam Harris, two British hikers who have been missing in the Dolomites for nearly a week, Italy’s alpine rescue service said.
The body, which has not yet been identified, was found buried beneath snow at about 2,600-metres above sea level in the area of the Conca pass in the Adamello nature park.
“The dynamics of the accident are being assessed,” the rescue service said in a statement. The search is continuing for the second hiker.
The discovery came after two rucksacks and other equipment were found in a camping spot on Wednesday.
Ziriat, 36, and Harris, 35, have been missing since New Year’s Day, when they last sent messages home. The pair, both from London, did not check in to their flight home on 6 January. Their relatives have travelled to Italy.
On Tuesday, Crystal Palace’s official charity, Palace for Life, where Ziriat worked, appealed for anyone who knew the area they went missing in and could help to call 999 with the reference: CAD 0197/07 Jan25.
The search on Tuesday was hampered by bad weather.
Their last known location was near a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda, on Lake Garda.
Joe Stone, a university friend of Ziriat, told the PA news agency the pair were experienced hikers who liked to go off the grid, but “alarm bells were raised” when they failed to check in for their return flight.
He said: “They are experienced hikers and they go a couple of times a year. It wasn’t surprising that they had no signal as they like going off the grid. Alarm bells were raised though when they didn’t turn up for their flight.”
Ziriat’s girlfriend and friends of the hikers are in Italy helping to coordinate the search with local authorities.
Stone praised the response from the public and said they had seen a “nice side of humanity” since asking for help.
He added: “The response from the local authorities has been fantastic and people from all walks of life have been trying to help, both in Italy and in the UK.”
More details soon…
