Italian authorities are desperately hunting for a female British hiker who seemingly vanished into thin air during a solo trek through a mountainous region.
The woman, named locally as 68-year-old Isobel, was last seen on Tuesday morning in the Veneto region in northern Italy.
Local media reported she was trekking across the mountainous part of the region, following the Rhaetian Way – a gruelling 88-mile multi-day hike that mixes rural walks with roadside hikes.
She set off from a hotel in Stalle, and was meant to complete the leg of the hike from the Seren Valley to the Schievenin Valley, before staying in a hotel in the town of Alano di Piave.
Isobel failed to make her 5pm arrival time. Mountain rescue teams were called at around 1.30am on Wednesday morning.
They searched the route she was meant to take, but found no sign of her. The search area was then expanded, and mountaineers searched all trails in the area, in case she took a wrong turn.
More rescuers are searching for her, with an alpine rescue team sending drones to look for her.
On top of this, firefighters and dog units from local police are assisting the search.
The woman, named locally as 68-year-old Isobel (pictured), was last seen on Tuesday morning in the Veneto region in northern Italy
She set off from a hotel in Stalle, and was meant to complete the leg of the hike from the Seren Valley to the Schievenin Valley (pictured)
Around 50 people are currently out looking for her.
Isobel was described as having short grey hair, and is 5ft 7in. Anyone with information about her has been asked to contact local police.
Worryingly, her disappearance came after a Slovenian hiker who disappeared in nearby Cortina was found dead.
The 54-year-old female hiker’s body was found near the Fanes waterfalls, where she is believed to have slipped and fallen.
Rescuers found her body, and recovered it with a helicopter.
The Daily Mail has contacted the UK’s foreign office for comment.
