A British hiker who went missing in Italy while on holiday has been found dead.
Matthew Hall, 33, disappeared on July 9 after sending a message to friends saying he was lost shortly after heading into the mountains.
Search teams spotted his body in a crevice a short distance from where he sent the final text and a helicopter had to be used to recover him because of the high risk to rescuers.
IT worker Matthew had been staying in a B&B at Valchiavenna near Sondrio when he disappeared and the owner raised the alarms after he failed to check out.
Friends of Mr Hall, who was from Hull and worked for broadband firm Quickline had flown out to join the hunt and his mother Sara Foster had also arrived to help.
In a last text sent to friend Jacob White at 13.37 BST on the day he went missing, Mr Hall had told him he thought he had taken ‘a wrong turn’ on a trail and was ‘having a rest’.
Mr White said Mr Hall ‘sounded relaxed’ in the text, with the latter asking him about his own holiday in Cornwall.
He added that his friend ‘sounded as if any danger he might have seen was over’.

Matthew Hall, 33, disappeared on July 9 after sending a message to friends saying he was lost shortly after heading into the mountains

A search effort was launched when Mr Hall failed to show up for checkout at the local bed and breakfast where he was staying

Mr Hall, who was described as a ‘competent walker’ had arrived in Italy in July 8 for a four day hiking break. Pictured: Gole del Cardinello canyon, Valchiavenna
He had also sent a picture of a landmark at Alpe Daloo near San Giacomo Filippo to friends and family which is on a well known path and search teams used this as the focal point for the hunt.
Mr Hall, who was described as a ‘competent walker’ had arrived in Italy in July 8 for a four day hiking break in the Valchiavenna range and drones and dogs had been used in the search before the tragic discovery.
Lt Gim Toni De Masi, of the local carabinieri police, told MailOnline: ‘The body of the missing man was found at around 7pm on Wednesday night.
‘He was around 200m below the cross where he had sent a picture, in a crevice in a very dangerous area and a helicopter had to be used to recover him.
‘We received a call saying someone had spotted something and a team was sent back up the mountain to have a look and the discovery was made.
‘His mother, who has only just arrived in Italy, has been informed and I understand his father is due to arrive here on Friday.
‘It is not the outcome we were hoping for, and we send our condolences to his friends and family.
‘His body was taken to a local hospital in Sondrio and the prosecutor has been informed as per procedure but as it looks like an accident his body will be repatriated shortly.’

Friends of Mr Hall, who was from Hull and worked for broadband firm Quickline had flown out to join the hunt and his mother Sara Foster had also arrived to help
In the days after his arrival in Italy, the B&B hosts noticed Mr Hall never collected his breakfast – but weren’t concerned and simply assumed he’d left early for a walk.
But when he did not return for checkout on July 11, alarm bells started to ring.
The next day, the hotel owners entered Mr Hall’s room and found all his personal belongings and documents inside, but not his backpack. His phone was turned off.
They contacted the police, who launched a manhunt on July 13. The operation involved the Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, and the Alpine Rescue team.
MailOnline has contacted the FCDO for comment.