Body found in Pyrenees believed to be missing British tourist in Andorra

A body feared to be that of a missing British tourist has been found in the Pyrenees a day after police and firefighters started searching for him.

The 28-year-old was last seen in the early hours of Sunday after leaving a hostel in Andorra he had checked into for a three-night stay on arrival from Spain.

Staff alerted the authorities on Wednesday morning after he failed to return despite leaving belongings at the property in the town of Escaldes-Engordany in the southeastern part of Andorra including his backpack and travel documents and missed a bus he had booked for midday on Tuesday.

All the unnamed man is thought to have had on him was his mobile phone.

Yesterday Andorran police announced firefighters had found a body in the high-mountain Tristaina Lakes area, one of the microstate’s most photographed landscapes, they believed could be that of the missing Brit.

They said in a statement: “This Thursday at midday the Fire Brigade located a lifeless body in the Tristaina area as part of the active search for a 28-year-old British tourist whom the police, with the collaboration of the Rescue Service, began searching for on Wednesday.

“From the moment the alert was raised about his possible disappearance, officers from the Public Security, Judicial Police and Criminal Investigation, and International Cooperation areas launched an investigation.

“With the support of the Fire Brigade, a search was begun in the urban area while efforts were made to reconstruct the route the young man might have taken.

“This Thursday morning, once the police had obtained more precise information about where he might be located, in the Tristaina area, a search was activated in this area, with firefighters using a helicopter and the police using a drone.

“While the search was being carried out, a citizen alerted the Rescue Service around noon, after appearing to see a person who might be deceased.

“The police will have to proceed with identifying the body and verify whether it is the British tourist who had been missing since Wednesday.”

Local reports published around the time the Brit was first reported missing described him as suffering from a physical condition that meant he had reduced mobility on the right side of his body.

Initial efforts to find him were centred around the area where he was staying and a nearby river area to rule out the possibility he might have accidentally fallen into the water.

CCTV footage was called in and reviewed as part of the search operation.

The Tristaina Lakes in Andorra’s Ordino parish in its north-west corner are a series of three mountain lakes nestled right along the border with France.

The beautiful circular hike passing the three alpine lakes is one of the most popular in Andorra.