Irishman, 64, dies in fall from Italian mountain as authorities probe cause after wife raised alarm

AN IRISHMAN fell to his death while hiking in the mountains of Northern Italy on Tuesday.

He has been named in the Italian media as Anthony Hunter, 64, a long-time resident of Italy.

Anthony was hiking the 2,000m Mount Lagna Peak in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-east Italy when he lost his life.

His body was found about 200m below the summit of the northern slope of the mountain.

The 64-year-old was a long-time resident of Gorizia, a town in the same region.

The alarm was raised at around 8.30pm following a call to emergency services by his wife, who reported that he had failed to return home from his hike, mountain rescuers said.

Anthony had called home earlier in the day and said that he had lost the trail but had the situation under control.

He later said that he had managed to find the final ridge of the climb.

After the Irishman was reported missing, the local alpine rescue team was dispatched along with volunteer firefighters.

A search and rescue helicopter also assisted in the search.

Rescuers used an off-road vehicle to search the route, first searching at three shelters along the forest trail, but were unable to find him.

However, the search helicopter spotted his body near the summit on the northern slope, which faces another mountain called Malga Tragonia.

The rescue team said in a statement that Mount Lagna features particularly steep and rugged terrain on that side.

They said that it is not possible to determine the cause of the fall at this point.

In a post on Facebook, they explained that Anthony may have slipped or have had a sudden medical emergency which caused his fall.

His body has been removed from the scene.

The search operation concluded at half past midnight.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reports and stands ready to provide consular assistance.

“As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases.”