A British mountaineer has gone missing in the French Alps and has not been heard from for two weeks, with his desperate family raising the alarm over his disappearance.
Kirk Handley’s family reported him missing on September 13 when he failed to return from his bid to scale the 11,000ft glacier summit of the Pic du Glacier d’Arsine in the French Alps, local media reports.
The 60-year-old from Yorkshire has not been heard from since September 7, but it is unclear why the search for Mr Handley was only launched now after his family sounded the alarm nearly two weeks ago.
French authorities were called on Sunday when locals in the town of Villar-d’Arene, around 18 miles from Briancon, noticed that Mr Handley’s rental car had not moved from its parking spot since the beginning of the month.
Mr Handley had left a note in the vehicle warning of his planned absence from September 7 to September 10. He had also outlined his hiking route to the Pic du Glacier d’Arsine.
Kirk Handley’s (pictured) family reported him missing on September 13 when he failed to return from his bid to scale the 11,000ft glacier summit of the Pic du Glacier d’Arsine in the French Alps, local media reports
The local police opened an investigation into Mr Handley’s disappearance on Monday.
His last known location to investigators is Villar-d’Arène, from where ‘he left on foot towards the Col d’Arsine, according to the high mountain gendarmerie platoon (PGHM) of Briancon.
On Monday, Mr Handley’s bivouac site – a temporary shelter or camp for sleeping outside – was discovered at the Pic d’Arsine and near the Pic de Neige Cordier.
Authorities said on Tuesday that emergency services have not yet been able to locate Mr Handley.
French police launched an appeal for witnesses this week, sharing a picture of Mr Handley, who the force referred to as a ‘mountain dweller’.
The search is due to resume on Wednesday, this time aided by a helicopter after it was unable to launch due to bad weather conditions on Tuesday, a PGHM lieutenant told local media.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in France and are in contact with the local authorities.’
