A BRITISH TREKKER was found dead in the mountains of northern Vietnam, an official said today, six days after a desperate call from the man sparked a massive search.
The body of 22-year-old Aiden Webb was spotted by rescue teams at the bottom of a deep valley near Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest mountain in the tourist hotspot of Sapa, district communist party chief Nguyen Trong Hai told AFP.
“Our rescue workers confirmed the body is the British man”, he said.
“We will try our best and hope to be able to bring his body up early Friday morning,” Hai added, explaining that the area is difficult to reach.
Webb was last heard from last Friday when he made a call to his girlfriend saying he had fallen and injured himself while making an ascent of the 3,143 metre peak.
A Facebook page set up by his family said Webb had, “hurt his knee, torn open his arm and lost his flashlight after falling by a waterfall”.
His girlfriend was travelling through Vietnam with him but Webb had chosen to hike up the mountain solo.
Vietnamese authorities launched a search operation after Webb went missing, combing dense mountainous jungles for any clues.
His father and uncle also flew out to help in the search, according to British media reports.
Webb’s own Facebook page showed he was a keen rock climber who regularly made solo hikes and climbs.
On 21 May he posted that he had got lost making a solo hike up Liang Biang, another mountain in central Vietnam which he had climbed “in preparation” for Fansipan.
The Sapa region is a popular destination that draws both local and international tourists alike, famed for its terraced rice paddies, stunning scenery and ethnic minorities.
Earlier this year a cable car that takes visitors to Fansipan’s summit was opened, despite opposition from environmentalists and the hiking community.
Many still choose to walk up the peak, usually arranging treks with local guides taking two or three days to reach the summit.
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