Samuel Harris, a hiker from London, who went missing with his friend Aziz Ziriat in the Dolomites, Italy on New Year’s Day has been found dead. The Italian alpine rescue service has confirmed that a body, which was “buried under the snow,” was discovered on Wednesday, near Trento. Although the cause of death is yet to be determined, the team has suggested that the possible reason his death was due to a “fall from above.” Ziriat, who was hiking with Harris, has yet to be found.
The two friends, who went to the Dolomites on a hiking trip, were last seen on the New Year’s Day, when they informed their family of their trip through messages. They did not report back home and did not return their backpacks within the expected time frame of their return. Their families raised the alarm when they failed to board their plane on 6 January.
The video taken on the day that the friends sent messages to their family revealed some key details about their final moments. They had plans of proceeding on their journey with minimal weight and decided to leave their backpacks for a day before moving to the next valley. During a helicopter search by a rescue team, their backpacks and equipment were uncovered at a bivouac hut where Ziriat and Harris are thought to have taken refuge from the cold.
The rescue team has on different occasions tried to locate Ziriat, using different means such as dogs and helicopters, but have been unable to find him, due to the bad weather conditions. Nonetheless, they have stated that the search for him will continue. Psychologists have been appointed to support the families of both walkers.
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