Body of British hiker found in Italian alps as search continues for second missing since Jan. 1

ROME — Rescue crews on Wednesday found the body of a missing British hiker buried in the snow of the Italian alps, but a search for his friend was suspended by poor weather conditions.

Experienced hikers Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Sam Harris, 35, had set out on Jan. 1 for a New Year's Day excursion in Italy's Adamello range. Italy's Alpine rescue service said it received an alert about the men on Jan. 6, after they failed to make a scheduled flight home.

After two days of fog, snow and avalanche warnings hampered searches, the service said rescuers guided by the hikers' phone registrations reached the pair's last recorded location Wednesday. They found the body of Harris buried in snow at the foot of a rockfall at the base of the south face of the Carè Alto. Rescuers said it was possible he had fallen from above.

Rescuers also found the men's backpacks and some of their hiking equipment.

British media quoted relatives and partners of the two men as saying they were experienced hikers who had planned to hike from mountain hut to mountain hut. The families said they had last heard from the pair on Jan. 1 but weren't concerned when they didn't hear from them in subsequent days.

''They are experienced hikers and they go a couple of times a year. It wasn't surprising that they had no signal as they like going off the grid," said Joe Stone, a university friend of Ziriat. "Alarm bells were raised though when they didn't turn up for their flight on January 6.''

A helicopter attempted a flyover on Tuesday, but fog and poor visibility forced it to return before reaching the affected valley and the search was suspended, the rescue crews said. Additionally, ground crews of the fire rescue service were unable to work due to high risks of avalanches.

Similarly poor weather rolled in Wednesday afternoon after Harris was found, forcing the suspension of the search for Ziriat. Rescuers said they would resume as soon as the visibility improved.

The Adamello range straddles Italy's Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige regions and includes the highest peak, Mt. Adamello, at 3,539 meters (11,611 feet.)