Two Britons have been missing in Italy for almost a week after a hike in the mountains.
Aziz Ziriat, 36, and his friend Samuel Harris, 35, both from London, were hiking in the Dolomite Mountains in northeastern Italy on January 1, but have not been seen or heard from. since then.
Ziriat, who works for Crystal Palace’s Palace for Life foundation, and Harris missed their flight back to Britain on January 6.
Crystal Palace has launched an urgent appeal to find their employee and his friend, sharing that “their last known location is believed to be near a cottage called Casina Dosson, near the town Tione Di Trento, near Riva del Garda, in Lake Garda”. .
The two sent messages home from the Trentino region until midday on January 1, but were unable to board the return flight.
The club also shared a map with routes the two hikers could have taken.
“We are appealing to anyone familiar with the area who can provide help or information to get in touch,” the club said in a statement today.
The club also posted descriptions of Ziriat and Harris, including an image of the clothing Harris is believed to have been wearing.
Aziz Ziriat (pictured), 36, and Sam Harris, 35, were hiking in the Dolomite Mountains in northeastern Italy on January 1, but have not been seen or heard from since. .
Ziriat, who works for Crystal Palace’s Palace for Life foundation, and Harris (pictured) missed their flight back to Britain yesterday.
The club also shared descriptions of Ziriat and Harris, including an image of the clothing Harris is believed to have been wearing.
Ziriat, who is 6’3, was a student at Brighton University, while Harris, who is 5’11, went to Oxford Brookes.
They both attended Teddington School in Teddington, south west London.
Crystal Palace has asked fans to share photos and information of the two missing Britons on social media.
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft’s AI division, also posted a call to find Ziriat and Harris on LinkedIn: ‘I urgently need your help! Two of my friends disappeared while hiking in the Dolomites.
“We know that they were near Casina Dosson Tione Di Trento, near Riva del Garda, on Lake Garda.”
Friends of the two missing Britons will reportedly fly to the region from London tonight to help in the search.
Alpine Rescue, Guardia di Finanza Rescue, Carabinieri and local firefighters are involved in the search for Ziriat and Harris, but recent snowfall made it difficult for teams to access the area, according to the bbc.
Local authorities reportedly said it was unusual for hikers to go missing in the Dolomites in January.
If anyone has any information or knows the area and can help, please call 999 and reference CAD 0197/07 Jan25.
This is a developing story. More to follow.