Brit hiker tragically confirmed dead after alpine rescuers find body on Italian mountain – as friend remains missing

THE body of hiker Samuel Harris has been recovered after he went missing on a New Year's Day mountain hike with his friend who has not yet been found.

Fears grew after friends Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, failed to board their flight home after their holiday in the Italian Dolomites.

Rescue crews uncovered a body buried in the snow of the mountains, Italian authorities revealed on Wednesday.

The heartbreaking discovery was made in the morning after a helicopter search was resumed following improved weather conditions.

An update later on Wednesday confirmed that the body was that of Brit hiker Harris who was declared dead by a doctor at around 1 pm.

Officials said: "After obtaining authorization from the judicial authorities to remove the body, the lifeless body of Samuel Harris was recovered by helicopter and transferred to Spiazzo (Tn), to be entrusted to the hearse.

"The lifeless body of the mountaineer was found under the snow, at the foot of a rock face, at the base of the south face of Carè Alto.

"The dynamics of the accident are still being examined by the police but it is possible that the mountaineer fell from above."

The search was carried out by fifteen specialists from Alpine and Speleological Rescue as well as a dog unit all trained in avalanche searches.

But, the search for Aziz which was focused on the area near where Harris' body was found was halted at 1:30 pm due to poor weather conditions.

"Fog and wind forced the helicopter to climb to a higher altitude to recover all the rescuers, unable to descend towards the valley by land due to the avalanche danger of grade 3," officials said.

The search for Aziz will continue "as soon as a window of good weather allows it," Alpine and Speleological Rescue stated.