Samuel Harris, 35 and Aziz Ziriat, 36, both from London, have been missing in the Dolomites since they were last heard from on New Years Day while hiking in the Trentino region. Their absence raised alarm when they failed to board their flight home on January 6th.
The body, which remains unidentified, was discovered under a layer of snow at an altitude of approximately 2,600 meters in the Conca Pass area within the Adamello Nature Park, following the finding of two rucksacks and other equipment at a camping site on Wednesday.
Italy's National Alpine Cliff and Cave Rescue Corps (CNSAS) said ground teams had found the body "sadly deceased, buried under the snow."
“The dynamics of the accident are being assessed,” the rescue service said in a statement. The search is continuing for the second hiker.
Rebecca Dimmock, Aziz Ziriat's girlfriend, described the pair as "experienced hikers".
She told the BBC: “They wanted to do a New Year's hike. They wanted to go from hut to hut throughout the Dolomites.
"They were planning on going off-grid, so that's not unexpected at all.
"I think they wanted to have some nights where they were out in nature and in fresh air and sleeping in the wild. They have all the gear and they've done hikes before."
On Tuesday, Crystal Palace’s official charity, Palace for Life, where Ziriat was employed, issued an appeal for anyone familiar with the area where the men went missing to contact 999, quoting the reference: CAD 0197/07 Jan25.
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.
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