The body of a British woman hiker missing for five days has been found in New Zealand.
Keen photographer Elizabeth Thomson, 55, from Kent, disappeared while out walking alone in Arthur's Pass National Park on South Island.
New Zealand Police said the body was discovered at 1430 local time by a search team in the Grahams Stream area of the park.
It had appeared to have been there for several days, a spokesman added.
Sergeant Peter Summerfield said: "Search teams are being withdrawn and the operation concluded. We are very saddened with this result."
Scouring area
He said Mrs Thomson's son and daughter, David and Alexandra, had been informed. They had flown from the UK and joined more than 30 police and civilian searchers in scouring the area.
The alarm was raised on Saturday when Mrs Thomson's backpack was found and staff checked her room at the Arthur's Pass Youth Hostel.
The backpack, including her car keys and an empty sandwich bag, was found by searchers on the Mount Aicken track more than 5,500ft above sea level, but her two cameras were missing.
Search-and-rescue teams including dogs and alpine cliff rescue specialists searched the remote area, described as "very rugged and dangerous" with a lot of ravines and gorges.
A report on Mrs Thomson's death has been referred to the Christchurch Coroner.
(BBC)
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