Matthew Hall, 33, has not been seen since leaving his accommodation in Chiavenna in the Alps to go for a hike and police are concerned about the area where he vanished
Missing Matthew Hall disappeared near treacherous gullies and ravines in the Alps, police believe.
The 33-year-old Brit has not been seen since July 9, when he set off from his hotel in Chiavenna, Italy, to go for a hike. He was supposed to fly home on Saturday but is yet to make contact with his family, leaving loved ones at home living what they describe as a “nightmare”. Attempts to get in touch with him have so far proved unsuccessful.
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, from Hull, Yorkshire, failed to show up for check-out, the owners discovered his belongings were untouched, and his backpack was not in his room.
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Now, police have revealed some more details about his last-known movements. One of the 20 rescuers, who are combing the area, assisted by a helicopter, told The Times that they are “concerned because there are plenty of dangerous gullies and ravines in that area.”
His mother, Sara Foster, said her concerns started when her son failed to board his planned flight to Manchester on Saturday afternoon. A police started started hours later. “It was typical for Matthew to not have been in touch to avoid paying for data but now I was worrying, although not panicking,” she said.
But she has been anxiously waiting at home for updates from the Italian authorities – says she has been “blown sideways” by the support she has received from Matthew’s friends and the wider public. She is also grateful to a group of his pals have flown over to join the search teams, who have spent time analysing the last photo he sent to try and pin down its exact location
Matthew’s employers, Quickline Communcations in Hull, are also sending six staff members out to join the efforts. His mother, who works for elderly care firm Home Instead, said: “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. I obviously realise that he’s very loved. I got a message from the search team this morning – there are apparently five teams who are out looking for him. Matthew sent a photo of the cross at Alpe Daloo, near San Giacomo Filippo, to friends on the day he went missing, his mum said.
His close friend Ben Lee has travelled with a group of friends to Chiavenna. He said his missing pal was last spotted by a girl at a local church on the day he vanished. “It kind of confirmed which route he was going on before there was a sighting of him later on in the day, at a certain point on the trail,” he said. “We’ve got mountain rescue out at the minute. There’s four teams, three helicopters and they’re going to carry on searching.”