Italy: Search for Britons missing in mountains

Rome: A search and rescue operation is under way in the Dolomites in northern Italy for two British men who have gone missing on a hiking trip.

Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, from London, were last heard from on 1 January after sending messages home from the Trentino region. They did not check into their flight home on 6 January.

Alpine Rescue, Guardia di Finanza Rescue, Carabinieri and the local fire brigade are all involved in the search but due to recent snowfall teams say they are having difficulty reaching the area.

Rebecca Dimmock, Mr Ziriat’s girlfriend, described the pair as “experienced hikers”.

She told the BBC: “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.”

Authorities say it is unusual for hikers to go missing at this time of the year. Friends of the two men are flying out to the region from London this evening.

Appeals for information on the two men have been posted on social media, including by Crystal Palace Football Club, where Mr Ziriat works.

Mustafa Suleyman, the chief executive of Microsoft’s AI division, posted on LinkedIn: “I urgently need your help! Two of my friends have gone missing whilst hiking in the Dolomites.

“We know they were near Casina Dosson Tione Di Trento, near Rival Del Garda, on Lake Garda.”