A teenager has been found dead in a ravine after getting lost while hiking with his family.
Liam Daniel Henry Rezac set off on Tuesday (22 July) with his parents and brother as part of a holiday trip day out.
Whilst the others paused for a rest, the 15-year-old chose to press on alone towards the 2,856m peak.
It’s thought he encountered a fork in the mountain trail and took a wrong turn before entering thick undergrowth.
In distress, he sent a final message to his parents at 6:38pm. It read: “I’m lost, I’ll try to find another way.”
The message contained his GPS coordinates.
When he stopped replying, his family contacted Italian emergency services, who launched a comprehensive search operation.
Andr Chaussod of the Aosta fire brigade told local media yesterday: “It was around 8 p.m. when the alarm was raised.
“The rescue operation was launched immediately, involving 11 firefighters, along with volunteers, drones, and sniffer dogs.
“The mayor of Valpelline and five members of the Guardia di Finanza mountain rescue team also took part.
“Searches continued without interruption through the night.
“This morning, the boy’s body was spotted during a civil protection helicopter flyover.”
Liam was discovered at approximately 2,000 metres above sea level in a ravine near the Becca di Viou mountain trail.
He is believed to have slipped and fallen shortly after dispatching his final message, as reported by NeedToKnow.
He likely perished instantly due to the severity of his injuries. Liam and his family had only recently arrived from Erbree in Brittany, France, for a brief holiday.
Rescue teams noted that he was only wearing trainers, which are not suitable footwear for such a challenging trek.
The incident is now being investigated by the Guardia di Finanza’s alpine rescue unit.
