Latest news with #SamuelHarris
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
'Heartbroken' family of British hiker, 36, pay tribute after his body was found in rocky crevice just metres from friend in the Italian mountains
The family of a British hiker who died with his friend in the Dolomites have revealed their 'heartbreak' after his body was found. Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, were hiking in the Italian mountains when they vanished on New Year's Day without a trace, sparking a major search operation. On Saturday, Mr Ziriat's body was discovered in a rocky crevice about 400-metres below where Mr Harris' body was found almost five months earlier. His grieving family said: 'Whilst we are relieved to have finally found him, there are no words to describe how heartbroken we are to lose our beloved Aziz.' His relatives added the past few months had been 'incredibly difficult for everyone who knew and loved him'. 'But we have been comforted by the overwhelming love we have received - we will be eternally grateful for everyone's support,' they added. Mr Harris was found dead just over a week after he went missing, with his body covered under deep layers of snow. A phone, card, and glasses belonging to Mr Ziriat were all discovered close to Mr Harris' body, but there was no sign of him then. Aziz Ziriat (left), 36, and his friend Samuel Harris (right), 35, both from London, were hiking in the Dolomites in northern Italy when they vanished without a trace Paying tribute to his 'optimism, good humour and humility', Mr Ziriat's family added: 'Being with Aziz was to witness his deep connection with and appreciation of life. 'He lived every moment with optimism, good humour and humility; he was, and still is, loved by so many.' In a video to friends before they vanished, the pair had detailed plans to scale a 3,000-metre mountain on January 1. But their family and friends became concerned when the two explorers missed their flights back to Britain on January 6 and alerted Italian authorities, who launched an urgent search, which were hampered by heavy snow and strong winds. The last known location of Mr Ziriat, who worked for Crystal Palace's Palace for Life foundation, and Mr Harris was close to a hut called Casina Dosson, which is near the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva del Garda, on Lake Garda. Rescuers on a helicopter search tragically confirmed Mr Harris's body was found 'buried under the snow' at around 2,600m on January 8. Italy's alpine rescue service said ground teams found his body at the base of the Care Alto peak and suggested he may have fallen from rocks above the spot. The rescue teams had been searching the area after tracking a 'phone of one of the two mountaineers'. Following the discovery of Mr Harris's body at 1pm, rescuers and sniffer dogs continued searching for his hiking partner until 1.30pm, when the hunt was called off due to worsening wind and fog. An investigation is under way into the circumstances of the incident, a spokesperson said at the time. Rescuers are pictured on a mountain after the body of Sam Harris was located in the Dolomites Earlier that day, rescuers said the men's backpacks and equipment were found during a search of a bivouac hut they are believed to have taken refuge in. The discovery of Mr Harris's body came just hours after Mr Ziriat's girlfriend, Bex Dimmock, said their disappearance 'just doesn't make sense'. Breaking down in tears on Good Morning Britain, Ms Dimmock said: 'There's just so many different possibilities and scenarios, that's the hardest thing. It doesn't make sense and we don't know what decisions they have made.' She added: 'They are really experienced, they have been to some really harsh conditions. 'This trip, they had a plan to go hut to hut and if the weather permitted they would sleep outside. 'They did have a nice route planned where they would end up in Lake Garda and have some time in that town before coming back.' In a separate interview with the BBC, Ms Dimmock said: '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. 'But they also wanted to get into the huts and have fires and drink red wine because it was New Year's, which they did do, because he did message me at one point and he was carrying a log up the mountain to one of the huts.' She added: 'I know they made it to the hut, and they were drinking red wine, but he said it was freezing.' She said she last spoke to Mr Ziriat at about 10.00am GMT on New Year's Day. 'He sent some photos of the mountains and a couple of himself,' she said. 'He said his phone was about to die but he would write back to me properly soon.' She said a few hours later, her messages were not being received by Mr Ziriat's phone. 'His phone had obviously died at that point, or he was out of range,' she said.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Body of missing British hiker is found in Italy after he disappeared on New Year's Day with friend who also died on tragic trip
The body of a missing British hiker who disappeared with his friend on New Year's Day has been found in Italy. Londoners Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, were hiking in the Dolomites when they vanished without a trace - sparking a major search operation. Mr Ziriat's body was discovered this morning and Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue team are now working to recover his remains. His family have been informed, according to the mountain rescue organisation. Mr Harris was found dead just over a week after he went missing, with his body covered under deep layers of snow. A phone, card, and glasses belonging to Mr Ziriat were all discovered close to Mr Harris' body, but there was no sign of him then. In a video to friends before they vanished, the pair had detailed plans to scale a 3,000-metre mountain on January 1. But their family and friends became concerned when the two explorers missed their flights back to Britain on January 6 and alerted Italian authorities, who launched an urgent search, which were hampered by heavy snow and strong winds. The last known location of Mr Ziriat, who worked for Crystal Palace's Palace for Life foundation, and Mr Harris was close to a hut called Casina Dosson, which is near the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva del Garda, on Lake Garda. Rescuers on a helicopter search tragically confirmed Mr Harris's body was found 'buried under the snow' at around 2,600m on January 8. Italy's alpine rescue service said ground teams found his body at the base of the Care Alto peak and suggested he may have fallen from rocks above the spot. The rescue teams had been searching the area after tracking a 'phone of one of the two mountaineers'. Following the discovery of Mr Harris's body at 1pm, rescuers and sniffer dogs continued searching for his hiking partner until 1.30pm, when the hunt was called off due to worsening wind and fog. An investigation is under way into the circumstances of the incident, a spokesperson said at the time. Earlier that day, rescuers said the men's backpacks and equipment were found during a search of a bivouac hut they are believed to have taken refuge in. The discovery of Mr Harris's body came just hours after Mr Ziriat's girlfriend, Bex Dimmock, said their disappearance 'just doesn't make sense'. Breaking down in tears on Good Morning Britain, Ms Dimmock said: 'There's just so many different possibilities and scenarios, that's the hardest thing. It doesn't make sense and we don't know what decisions they have made.' She added: 'They are really experienced, they have been to some really harsh conditions. 'This trip, they had a plan to go hut to hut and if the weather permitted they would sleep outside. 'They did have a nice route planned where they would end up in Lake Garda and have some time in that town before coming back.' In a separate interview with the BBC, Ms Dimmock said: '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. 'But they also wanted to get into the huts and have fires and drink red wine because it was New Year's, which they did do, because he did message me at one point and he was carrying a log up the mountain to one of the huts.' She added: 'I know they made it to the hut, and they were drinking red wine, but he said it was freezing.' She said she last spoke to Mr Ziriat at about 10:00 GMT on New Year's Day. 'He sent some photos of the mountains and a couple of himself,' she said. 'He said his phone was about to die but he would write back to me properly soon.' She said a few hours later, her messages were not being received by Mr Ziriat's phone. 'His phone had obviously died at that point, or he was out of range,' she said. Desperate friends of the missing pair also revealed the moment their GPS tracker went dead. Joseph Sheppard, a friend of Mr Ziriat, told The Times: '[Ziriat and Harris] were at a specific rifugio [shelter] and they looked like they were going to [try] and make it to the next refugio, which was on the other side of a mountain. So they had to go up one and down again. 'Their tracking [system] followed them from the rifugio up the mountain, it looks like they pretty much got to the peak of it and then the tracking stops.'
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Body of missing Brit found abroad after he vanished on New Year's Day
The body of a Brit who vanished on New Year's Day during a hiking trip with his friend has been found. Aziz Ziriat, 36, went missing alongside his friend Samuel Harris, 35, in the Italian Dolomites at the start of the year.
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Body of Brit found five months after he disappeared along with his friend on Italian hiking trip
THE body of a Brit hiker who shockingly vanished during a trek in Italy months ago has been found. Aziz Ziriat, 36, went missing alongside Samuel Harris, 35, in the Italian Dolomites on New Year's Day. 1 His body was found today after rescuers launched a search mission months ago to find the missing Brit. His pal Harris was found dead in January, covered under deep layers of snow. They failed to get on their flight home on January 6, and they had stopped answering their phones. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
