3 days ago
Body of missing British hiker found in Dolomites
The body of a British hiker who went missing in the Dolomites on New Year's Day has been found by Italy's alpine rescue service.
Aziz Ziriat, 36, was last heard from five months ago while hiking through the mountain range in the Trentino region of north Italy with his friend Sam Harris.
Several Items and pieces of equipment belonging to 35-year-old Mr Harris were discovered by search and rescue teams in the days after the pair's disappearance.
Rescuers retrieved Mr Harris's body on Jan 8 from deep snow at the foot of a cliff on the south face of Mount Carè Alto after tracing his whereabouts through his mobile phone.
Mr Ziriat's body was found by a sniffer dog on Saturday morning, hidden in a rocky crevice that was covered by snow, approximately one kilometre away and 400 metres below the whereabouts of his climbing companion.
The rescue service said that an unsuccessful first search at an altitude of 2,600 metres had taken place that day in the same area where Mr Harris was found. The team had swept an entire gully for any sign of his companion.
A second search was then undertaken, with the team carefully lowering themselves along the wall below the base of the slope of the site of the first search.
Mr Ziriat's remains were transported to the Spiazzo Rendena sports field and collected by representatives of the coroner's office. His family was immediately informed of the discovery.
The charity worker had undertaken many hiking trips with Mr Harris, according to Rebecca Dimmock, Mr Ziriat's girlfriend,
The pair had last been seen in the San Valentino Valley, near a mountain hut named Casina Dosson.
In a video, filmed on the day of their disappearance and shared with The Telegraph, they had discussed plans to scale 3,000-metre high mountains.
Heavy snowfall, fog, and sub-zero temperatures had repeatedly hampered rescuers' efforts to find Mr Ziriat, and they were often forced to curtail searches for their own safety.
Mr Ziriat was head of community engagement at the Palace For Life Foundation, the official Crystal Palace FC charity.
The Foundation, which was set up in south London to help youngsters grow through sport, said at the time of his disappearance: 'Aziz has not only been incredibly impactful in his role, but also a kind, compassionate and generous individual who brought positivity and warmth to everyone he has worked with.
'He is an extremely loved colleague and friend at Palace for Life, having created close relationships with those at Palace and throughout the local community.'
Since the body of Mr Harris was found, his family has raised more than £11,000 for Doctors without Borders, the alpine rescue service and St Mungo's Homeless Charity in his memory.
One anonymous donor stated just over a week ago: 'To one of the most awesome human beings I had the privilege of knowing. RIP Sam, you were one of life's good ones.'
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