Authorities in the Moroccan city of Agadir announced that they had recovered a body in the early evening of Monday on a rugged mountainside in a forest area adjacent to the beach in the municipality of Tamri.
The body is said to have already been in an advanced stage of decomposition, but authorities say it is most likely a Belgian tourist who disappeared at the end of November. DNA testing must now be carried out to confirm the identity of the body. But authorities added in the statement that they also found personal items at the top of the rocky slope. These could possibly also indicate that the victim fell and died.
“Unimaginable loss”
The family of 29-year-old Dries De Graeve from Ghent confirms his death on Facebook. “It is with great sadness that we have to report that Dries’ body has been found in the remote mountains near Agadir. We are extremely grateful to the authorities, friends and family who stood by us and supported the search 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 everyone who knew him.”
Dries 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 extra alarming because he may have been suffering from psychosis and urgently needed proper medication. Dries De Graeve is a cousin of Inti De Ceukelaire, the well-known ethical hacker. De Ceukelaire had set up a website in the hope of finding his cousin.
