Mystery Deepens as Remains Identified as Samuel Harris

According to Italy’s alpine rescue service, a body discovered during the search for two British individuals missing in the Dolomites is presumed to be that of Samuel Harris.

The pair, Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, from London, were last heard from on January 1 after communicating with family from the Trentino region in northern Italy. They failed to check in for their flight home on January 6.

The rescuers reported that a body was found “sadly lifeless, buried under the snow” following the resumption of a helicopter search on Wednesday morning.

This discovery occurred in a high-altitude region where a phone signal was last detected from one of the individuals, they mentioned.

An update released on Wednesday afternoon indicated the body is believed to be that of Mr. Harris, located under snow at the base of a rock face on Carè Alto mountain close to Trento.

Although the official cause of death remains uncertain, a possible explanation could be a fall “from above”.

The rescuers mentioned they had to cease the search for Mr. Ziriat, which was utilizing dog units specialized in avalanche detections, due to adverse weather conditions.

The search operations will recommence as soon as conditions permit, likely on Friday, the spokesperson stated.

This follows a video recorded on the day they were last in contact, which disclosed their intention to abandon their packs for a day before advancing to the subsequent valley.

Earlier on Wednesday, the men’s backpacks and gear were discovered during the inspection of a bivouac hut where they are believed to have taken shelter.

The team also mentioned that the families of Mr. Ziriat and Mr. Harris, who have traveled to Italy, are receiving support from psychologists.

A search operation took place using a helicopter in the area between the hut and a nearby mountain summit to detect signals from reflective surfaces and electronic devices, however, the team reported that nothing was located.

Rebecca Dimmock, Mr. Ziriat’s girlfriend, described the duo previously as “seasoned hikers”.

She conveyed to the BBC: “They aimed to undertake a New Year’s hike. They intended to traverse from hut to hut throughout the Dolomites.

“They were planning to go off-grid, so that was not unforeseen at all,” she stated.

Ms. Dimmock remarked: “I believe they were looking to spend a few nights immersed in nature, enjoying the fresh air and sleeping outdoors.

“However, they also desired to enter the cabins, have fires, and enjoy red wine since it was New Year’s, which they accomplished, because he messaged me at one point, mentioning he was hauling a log up the mountain to one of the cabins.

“I know they successfully arrived at the cabin and were indulging in red wine, but he did mention it was extremely cold.”

Ms. Dimmock stated that her last communication with Mr. Ziriat occurred around 10:00 GMT on New Year’s Day.

“He forwarded some images of the mountains along with a few of himself.

“He mentioned his phone was about to lose power, but he would respond to me more thoroughly soon.”

A few hours later, her attempts to reach Mr. Ziriat’s phone went unanswered, she noted.

“His phone had evidently run out of battery at that stage, or he was beyond range,” she remarked.