Latest news with #Chiavenna
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
British hiker found dead after going missing in Italian Alps
A British hiker has been found dead in the Italian Alps a week after he went missing on a solo trip. Matthew Hall, 33, from Hull, disappeared on July 9 after sending a text message to a friend saying he had taken a wrong turn and had decided to rest. Italian police told Mr Hall's family that he was missing later the same day. A search operation was launched, involving three helicopters, mountain rescue teams and a drone. On Wednesday evening, his body was discovered in a steep gully near the Cross of Daloo, a mountaintop viewpoint above the town of Chiavenna, where he had been staying since July 5. A helicopter was sent to assist with the recovery. Some of Mr Hall's friends and colleagues at a broadband company travelled to Italy to help look for him, and said they were devastated by the loss. 'We all absolutely loved him. At least we are bringing him home, back to where he should be,' said Sam Jackson, who was part of the search. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Jackson said the group had been optimistic they would find Mr Hall, and thanked police, rescue workers and the local community for giving them help and support. 'They have found our pal,' he said. Mr Jackson said Mr Hall loved snowboarding, skateboarding, and watching his local rugby league team, Hull KR. Mr Hall's mother arrived in Italy on Wednesday and his father is expected to join her on Friday. He was known to be a confident hiker with knowledge of mountains and rough terrain. It is thought that he was planning an eight-hour trek on the day of his disappearance. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.'
Times
2 days ago
- Times
British hiker missing for a week found dead in Italian Alps
A British man who disappeared while on a solo hiking trip in the Italian Alps has been found dead in a steep gully not far from where he sent a last message to a friend. Matthew Hall, 33, from Hull, began a walking holiday in northern Italy on July 5 and had been due to return to England a week later. He went missing on July 9 after sending a text message to a friend saying he had taken a wrong turn and was having a rest. He sent a photo to the friend of the Cross of Daloo, a mountaintop viewpoint above the town of Chiavenna, where he had been staying. Rescuers found his body on Wednesday evening after being alerted at 7pm by a local who spotted his backpack in a deep crevice. He had apparently fallen just a few hundred metres from the cross that featured in his photo. Rescuers said the dangerous rugged terrain required the use of a helicopter to recover the body. 'All the circumstances point to an accidental fall,' a spokesman for the police in Chiavenna said. It was likely that Hall, who worked for the broadband firm Quickline, had been killed instantly by the fall but it would be up to doctors to establish the cause of death, the spokesman said. 'The crevice was very deep, so it's probable that he died immediately,' he said. Police were due to accompany Hall's mother, Sara Foster, to the hospital in Sondrio where his body had been taken. She arrived at Milan's Malpensa airport on Wednesday evening and was due to be joined by her husband on Friday. Five of Hall's work colleagues had arrived in Italy earlier to support the search efforts of the Italian authorities, backed up by the use of drones and dogs. Hall had been staying in a B&B in Chiavenna and his hosts noted that he had not been collecting his breakfast but did not raise the alarm until he failed to return for checkout on July 11. A search by police and Alpine rescue teams was not launched until July 13. Friends and family said Hall was a confident walker with experience of managing rugged terrain. Jacob White, the friend who received his last message at 1.37pm on July 9, said he had sounded relaxed as he had asked him about his own holiday in Cornwall. 'It sounded as if any danger he might have seen was over,' he said.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Body found in search for missing Brit 2 weeks after vanishing in alps having sent last text saying ‘I've lost the trail'
His body was found near a viewpoint above the town where the Brit was staying TRAGIC FIND Body found in search for missing Brit 2 weeks after vanishing in alps having sent last text saying 'I've lost the trail' A BODY has been found in the search for the British hiker who went missing in Italy two weeks ago. Matthew Hall, 33, disappeared while walking in the Italian Alps - and a body was found close to a mountain viewpoint above the town of Chiavenna, where he had been staying. Advertisement 1 A body has been found in the search for Matthew Hall Credit: MEN Media Matthew sent a last text to friends saying that he had lost the trail before he vanished. He also sent a photograph of the Cross of Daloo - the viewpoint close to where the body was located. This clue led to an intense search of the trails in the surrounding area after Matthew was reported missing. Italian police said the body was found at 19:00 local time and that Matthew's family has been informed, reports the BBC. Advertisement More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Body found in search for British hiker Matthew Hall in Italy
Rescue teams searching for missing British man Matthew Hall in the Italian Alps have found a discovery was made on Wednesday evening, close to the Cross of Daloo, a mountain viewpoint high above the town of Chiavenna, where the 33-year-old, from Hull, had been Hall sent a photograph of the cross to friends on the day he went missing, leading to a search of trails in the police told the BBC the body was found at 19:00 local time and members of Mr Hall's family had been informed. Mr Hall was staying at the B&B Ploncher hotel when he disappeared on 9 July. He was thought to have been planning an eight-hour trek and had told a friend in a text message he had taken a wrong turn and was having a travelled to the town to help with the search and raise awareness that he was Hall began his solo hiking trip on 5 July and was due to have flown back from Milan to Manchester on 12 July. He was known to be a confident walker with knowledge of mountains and rugged family and friends have praised the Italian police, rescue workers and the community in Chiavenna for their help. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Friends of missing Hull hiker Matthew Hall retrace steps in Italy
Friends of a hiker from Hull missing in northern Italy have started to retrace his steps in an effort to find him. Matthew Hall, who was staying at the B&B Ploncher hotel in Chiavenna, Lombardy, has been missing since 9 of his friends, including some who have known him since school and colleagues from East Yorkshire broadband firm Quickline, have flown out to join the said three helicopters, multiple mountain rescue teams, police and a specialist drone have been working around the clock to try and find Mr Hall, 33, who is described as a "very competent" walker. On Wednesday morning, Mr Hall's friend, Benjamin Lee, said the group was planning a trek "to get some visibility of the terrain".Mr Lee said Italian officials had informed them that, in addition to police and their resources, rescue teams totalling about 30 people were out looking for their friend."It's 24 hours, we're getting updates in the middle of the night from the teams," said Mr Blowman, another friend, described Mr Hall as a "very competent" solo hiker, who "knows what he's doing".He added: "We've been having daily briefs with the search and rescue guys and they've been showing us where they've been."They're covering every square metre."Both men said the local community have been "unbelievable". On Monday, Mr Hall's mother, Sara Foster, said: "I'm very wobbly at the moment, obviously, but I'm really trying to stay positive."In a last text sent to friend Jacob White at 13:37 BST on the day he went missing, Mr Hall had told him he thought he had taken "a wrong turn" on a trail and was "having a rest".Mr White said Mr Hall "sounded relaxed" in the text, with the latter asking him about his own holiday in added that his friend "sounded as if any danger he might have seen was over".In a statement, Quickline described Mr Hall, who has worked as an engineer for the company since January 2023, as a "well-liked colleague". It added that it hoping for "a safe and positive outcome".A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
