The body of a British hiker missing in the Dolomites in northern Italy since New Year’s Day has been found, local rescuers said on Saturday.

Aziz Ziriat, 36, from London, was discovered buried in snow by rescuers from the Trentino Alpine and speleological rescue team, the organisation said.

He had been hiking with his friend Sam Harris, 35, whose body was found buried under snow on the same mountain about 1km (0.6 miles) away, at the base of the southern face of Carè Alto, soon after they were reported missing.

The team, which had been airlifted to the area on Saturday morning, began searching near where Harris’s body had been found.

A rescue dog, from a unit provided by the Italian financial police’s Alpine rescue branch, detected his body “in a rocky crevice, hidden beneath layers of snow”, at the foot of the southern face of Carè Alto, the rescue team said in a statement.

Ziriat’s remains were found “at the base of the cliffs, almost 1,000 metres away from Harris’s initial location and 400 metres lower in altitude”.

The body was airlifted to the nearby Spiazzo Rendena sports field. The rescue team said his family have been informed of the discovery.

The pair’s last known location had been a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda on Lake Garda on 1 January.

The alarm was raised when the pair missed their return flight on 6 January.

Firefighters and a volunteer group had also been involved in the search operation.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who died in northern Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”