Samuel Harris who co-owns an antiques shop in New Malden and his friend, Aziz Ziriat, haven’t been seen since New Year’s Day.
The pair failed to check in for their flight home on Monday.
Both attended Teddington School.
A friend’s described them as ‘experienced’ walkers who liked to go off grid.
Statement from Italy’s National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps (pictured during the search above):
The ground teams of the Soccorso Alpino, airlifted in the morning near Passo di Conca at an altitude of approximately 2,600 meters to conduct ground searches and snow probing in the area identified as a priority thanks to a track recorded on the phone of one of the two mountaineers, have found one of the bodies, sadly deceased, buried under the snow. The dynamics of the accident are under evaluation. The search for the second mountaineer continues on the ground, with the deployment of Soccorso Alpino’s avalanche-trained canine units.
The families of the two men, who have traveled to Italy, have already been informed and are being supported by a team of psychologists.
