British graduate found dead after 'plunging 100ft' on glacier hiking trail in Argentina

The dead body of a British graduate has been found beside a hiking trail leading to a glacier in Argentina.

David Minn, 24, was found by hikers on Wednesday (24 January) near a rocky path by the Ojo de Albino glacier in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost region of the South American country.

The young aerospace engineer, who completed his degree at the University of Sheffield last year, had been on a seven-month tour of South America.

He had been declared missing two days earlier, after failing to return to the hostel where he was staying in Ushuaia, often known as "the end of the world".

A local search had been organised by police once the alarm had been raised by the hostel.

It is understood that the Londoner suffered a fall while hiking alone on an icy trail close to the glacier.

Police chief Alejandra Giordano told local media: "An autopsy is taking place to discover what happened. Apparently he suffered a fall in an area where there are a lot of rocks.

"The people who helped recover the body say he plunged more than 100 feet and suffered a strong blow to his head."

Minn's family had visited him in Argentina last month to celebrate his birthday.

His sister 26-year-old Hayley, a Daily Mirror reporter, wrote on Twitter that the family were "grieving my brother who has just died in horrific circumstances".

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British national who sadly died in Argentina, and we are in contact with the local authorities."