Urgent search for Briton who went missing on solo hike in Italy
Matthew Hall, from Hull, disappeared from Chiavenna, Lombardy, on 9 July. He was declared missing after he failed to check out of his accommodation, the B&B Ploncher hotel, on 11 July.
The last contact he had was at around 1.20pm on 9 July, when he sent a photo to a friend from the cross on the Daloo Alps, above Chiavenna, according to a Facebook post.
He has not been heard from since, and his phone is turned off.
Italian media reports that Mr Hall sought advice from management at the hotel upon his arrival on 8 July and then was not seen again. Staff reportedly assumed the Brit had missed breakfast for the following few days due to leaving early in the morning for hikes.
But when Mr Hall missed his checkout, staff at the hotel grew concerned and decided to check his room. There, they found his documents, personal belongings and his luggage, and they decided to raise the alarm.
The hiker also failed to check in for his flight back from Milan to Manchester on 12 July, after having begun his trip on 5 July.
His mother, Sara Foster, said she believed her son was planning an eight-hour trek before he went missing. She said he had been wearing a beige top and sporting a black backpack when he disappeared. He is around 1.78 m tall and with brown hair.
Italian and British officials have been alerted to his disappearance, and a rescue operation is underway. Italian media reported that the rescue teams are searching the territory above Borgonuovo di Piuro, considered the most likely starting point for Mr Hall to be found.
Ms Foster said she was grateful to the Italian police and rescue workers for their help. She said they had been keeping her regularly updated on the search.
She told the BBC that her son was an avid Hull KR rugby league fan who 'loves his trails and walking'.
"We'd got lots of photos from him from the Saturday to the Monday and then it seemed to be a blank," she said.
"If you're walking around Chiavenna just keep an eye out. We just want him to come home."
A FCDO Spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.'
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
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Times
11 hours ago
- Times
Search for British hiker missing for five days in Italian Alps
A search is under way in the Italian Alps for a British hiker who has been missing for five days after texting a friend that he was lost. 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.
