Authorities in the Moroccan city of Agadir announced that they had recovered a body on Monday evening on a rugged mountainside in a forest area adjacent to the beach in the municipality of Tamri.
READ ALSO. Dries (29) missing in Morocco: “When we woke up in the morning, he had suddenly disappeared”
According to the authorities, it is most likely the Belgian tourist Dries De Graeve (29) from Ghent, who disappeared in the region at the end of November. DNA testing still needs to be conducted to formally confirm the identity of the body. According to local authorities, they also found personal items at the top of the rocky slope, which could indicate that the victim fell and died.
“Unimaginable loss”
De Graeve’s family has now confirmed the young man’s death. “It is with great sadness that we have to report that Dries’ body has been found in the remote mountains near Agadir,” the statement said on Facebook. “We are extremely grateful to the authorities, friends and family who stood by us and supported the search effort during this painful time. As we try to cope with this unimaginable loss, we kindly ask for privacy and will not be making any further public statements at this time. Dries will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”
De Graeve was on holiday with two friends in the Moroccan Taghazout, just north of Agadir. There he disappeared early in the morning at the end of November, after a night of camping on the beach. His disappearance was alarming, as the young man may have been suffering from psychosis and needed urgent medication. De Graeve is a cousin of Inti De Ceukelaire, the well-known ethical hacker.
