Search for British hiker missing for five days in Italian Alps
Matthew Hall, a telecoms engineer from Hull, was trekking alone near Chiavenna, north of Lake Como and close to the Swiss border, when he sent his last known message saying that he had lost his trail.
'We are concerned because there are plenty of dangerous gullies and ravines in that area,' said one of the 20 police rescuers and volunteers now combing the area, assisted by a helicopter.
Hall, 33, asked for local directions at the bed and breakfast he was staying at in Chiavenna at 10am on July 8 and was not seen again by staff, but his absence was only reported to local police by the owner on Saturday, four days later, after he failed to show up to check out on Friday.
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