A close friend of a British hiker who has been missing in the Dolomites for more than a week said “there is an acceptance that it won’t be good news” as the search to find him continues.
Sam Harris, 35, and Aziz Ziriat, 36, both from London, had not been heard from since January 1.
The body of Mr Harris was found in the Passo di Conca area on Wednesday, rescuers said.
There is an acceptance among us that it’s not going to be good news... But it would be really nice to find him and be put out of this limbo
Joe Stone, a university friend of Mr Ziriat, told the PA news agency that authorities are “trying everything” to find the 36-year-old who has now been missing for 10 days.
“There is an acceptance among us that it’s not going to be good news,” Mr Stone said on Saturday.
“But it would be really nice to find him and be put out of this limbo.”
The pair’s last known location had been a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda on Lake Garda.
Italy’s National Alpine Cliff and Cave Rescue Corps (CNSAS) said on Saturday that the search for Mr Ziriat, who works for Crystal Palace’s charity Palace For Life, resumed at first light.
Around 40 rescuers have been airlifted to high altitudes and are digging into the snow to search for Mr Ziriat in the area where Mr Harris’s body was found.
On Wednesday, the alpine rescue service said ground teams had found a body in the area of Passo di Conca “sadly deceased, buried under the snow”.
The rescue teams had been searching the area after tracking a “phone of one of the two mountaineers”.
Palace For Life posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “We are aware of reports that the body of Sam Harris has been recovered.
“We are devastated to receive this news and our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones.
“No further information is currently available regarding the whereabouts of Aziz.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Friday: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in northern Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”
