The family of a British hiker, who passed away alongside his companion in the Dolomites, shared their profound grief following the discovery of his remains.
Aziz Ziriat, aged 36, and Samuel Harris, who is 35 years old, were trekking through the Italian mountains when they
disappeared on New Year’s Day without a trace,
triggering an extensive search effort.
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.
The bereaved family stated: “Although we feel relief at having located him eventually, it is impossible to express the depth of our sorrow at losing our dear Aziz.”
His family members stated that the previous several months had been ‘extremely tough for everybody who knew and loved him.’
However, we have found solace in the immense affection we’ve been shown; we shall forever appreciate all the backing we’ve received,” they concluded.
Mr Harris was discovered deceased barely more than seven days since he had vanished, his body buried beneath thick layers of snow.
A mobile phone, credit card, and eyeglasses belonging to Mr. Ziriat were found near Mr. Harris’ remains, yet he himself was nowhere to be seen at that time.
Honoring his ‘optimism, good humor, and humility,’ Mr. Ziriat’s family stated: ‘To be with Aziz was to see his profound bond with and gratitude for life.’
Each moment of his life was filled with optimism, good humor, and humility; he continues to be cherished by countless people.
In a farewell video to their friends before disappearing, the duo outlined their intentions to climb a 3,000-meter mountain on January 1st.
However, their family members and friends grew worried when the two adventurers failed to catch their flights back to Britain on January 6th. They informed the Italian authorities, prompting an immediate search operation. This effort was complicated by severe snowfall and powerful gusts of wind.
The final known whereabouts of Mr. Ziriat, associated with the Palace for Life foundation at Crystal Palace, and Mr. Harris were near a small cabin referred to as Casina Dosson. This location is in proximity to the town of Tione di Trento, situated not far from Riva del Garda, alongside Lake Garda.
Helicopter rescuers sadly confirmed Mr. Harris’s body was discovered buried beneath the snow at approximately 2,600 meters on January 8th.
The Italian Alpine Rescue Service reported that ground crews discovered his body at the foot of the Care Alto peak, speculating that he might have fallen from boulders situated higher up.
The search crews were scouring the region after tracing the phone signal belonging to one of the two climbers.
After discovering Mr. Harris’s body at 1 pm, rescue teams and scent-detection dogs kept looking for his hiking companion until 1:30 pm. The search was then halted because of deteriorating winds and increasing fog conditions.
A probe is currently underway to examine the details surrounding the event, as was stated by a representative at that moment.
Earlier that same day, rescue teams mentioned that the men’s backpacks and gear had been discovered during an examination of a shelter hut where they reportedly sought refuge.
The finding of Mr. Harris’s remains occurred merely hours following Ms. Ziriat’s partner, Bex Dimmock, expressing that their vanishing ‘doesn’t add up’.
In tears on “Good Morning Britain,” Ms. Dimmock expressed her distress, stating, “The numerous potential outcomes and situations create the biggest challenge. Nothing seems logical, and their choices remain unclear.”
She stated, “These individuals are highly skilled; they have faced extremely challenging environments.”
For this journey, their strategy was to move from one cabin to another, and provided the conditions were favorable, they intended to camp outdoors.
They had a pleasant itinerary set, which concluded at Lake Garda, allowing them to spend some time in the town there prior to returning home.
During an independent interview with the BBC, Ms Dimmock stated: “They were planning a New Year’s trek. Their idea was to move from one mountain hut to another across the Dolomites.”
‘It was expected they would go off-grid, so this isn’t surprising 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.
However, their intention was not only to enter the cabins but also to light fires and enjoy some red wine since it was New Year’s Eve. They indeed followed through with this plan as he messaged me later about him carrying a log up the mountain to reach one of the cabins.
She remarked, “I am aware that they reached the cabin, where they enjoyed some red wine, though he mentioned it was extremely cold.”
She mentioned that her last communication with Mr Ziriat was around 10:00 am GMT on New Year’s Day.
He shared some pictures of the mountains along with a few of himself,” she mentioned. “He told me his phone battery was nearly drained but promised to send a more detailed message later.
A few hours afterward, she mentioned that her messages were not reaching Mr. Ziriat’s device.
‘Seemingly, his phone either ran out of battery or he moved out of signal range,’ she explained.
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