Body found in search of missing hikers

Italy’s alpine rescue service has said the body of one of two British men missing in the Dolomites has been found.

Aziz Jeriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, of London, were last heard from on January 1 after sending home messages from the Trentino region of northern Italy. He did not check in for his homebound flight on January 6.

Rescuers said a body was found “unfortunately lifeless, buried under snow” after helicopters resumed the search on Wednesday morning.

It said the discovery was made in a high-altitude area, where a person’s phone signal was last recorded.

Earlier on Wednesday the team issued an update saying the men’s backpacks and equipment were found during a search of a hut where they are believed to have taken shelter.

This comes after a video taken on the day they were last heard from revealed that they had planned to leave their packs for a day before moving to the next valley.