Matthew Hall: Body found in search for Brit missing in Italian Alps

Rescue teams searching for missing Brit Matthew Hall have found a body in the Italian Alps.

The discovery was made on Wednesday evening close to the town of Chiavenna, Italy, near to where the 33-year-old from Hull, Yorkshire, was staying. He had not been seen since July 9, when he set off from B&B Ploncher hotel to go for a hike. He was supposed to fly home on Saturday, but had not made contact with his family, leaving loved ones at home living what they describe as a "nightmare".

Italian police confirmed to the BBC that a body was found at 19:00 local time yesterday, and members of Mr Hall's family had been informed. Lt Gim Toni De Masi said a body was discovered in a crevice by the area from where the man sent his final message to friends.

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A helicopter was brought in to assist with the recovery, police said, due to the danger involved. The officer said Mr Hall's mother, Sara Foster, arrived in the country on Wednesday, while his father is due to land in Italy on Friday. A number of his friends, assisting with the search, have been in the area since the start of the week.

The alarm was raised by hotel's owners after he did not collect his breakfast for several days, with them initially believing he was likely leaving for early morning hikes. But when Matthew failed to show up for check-out, the owners discovered his belongings were untouched, and his backpack was not in his room.

His employers, Quickline Communcations in Hull, sent six staff members out to join the search efforts. Matthew's mother, who works for elderly care firm Home Instead, said on Tuesday: “I feel like I’m living someone else’s nightmare but I’ve just been blown sideways by all of his friends. I didn’t know them all but I do now. The way that they have just leapt into action has been unbelievable, it really has."

Matthew sent a photo of himself at the cross at Alpe Daloo, near San Giacomo Filippo, to friends on the day he went missing. He was described by friends as a "competent walker" and had arrived in Italy in July 8 for a four day solo break in the Valchiavenna range.

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