The body of a man believed to be missing Irish backpacker Ronan Lawlor has been found in Chile.
Mr Lawlor (28) from Durrow, Co Laois, had not been in touch with family or friends since November 18th, when he entered Torres del Paine national park on the Argentina-Chile border.
It is understood Mr Lawlor's body was spotted lying in a crevice by tourists on Saturday and was recovered by police yesterday.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed this morning that a body had been found in southern Chile but said it could not confirm if it was that of Mr Lawlor.
"Officials are in contact with Mr Lawlor's family and they are being updated on developments,"a Department spokeswoman said.
"The body has yet to be formally identified and as such we cannot confirm whether it is that of Mr Lawlor," she said.
But, she said, officials from the Department were working with the Chilean authorities to repatriate the body following formal identification.
A spokesman for Mr Lawlor's family said a passport was found close to the body and that they were awaiting formal confirmation of the body's identity.
Aidan Lawlor said that while the news of his cousin's death was sad for the family, "it is also very good news because it brings a finality to things and we can now bring Ronan home to be buried." It is understood that official identification of the body will be confirmed this afternoon using DNA samples provided by the Lawlor family.
Mr Lawlor had been backpacking in South America since August and had regularly updated family and friends through a blog. He was last seen travelling by bus to the large park in the Patagonian region.
He had been scheduled to visit Ushuaia in southern Argentina on November 25th. From there he was due to fly to Buenos Aires, but he did not arrive.
Searches by a helicopter and sniffer dogs found no trace of Mr Lawlor, and the operation was called off last month.