Australian hiker’s body found at Sveti Ilija Mountain
POLICE in Croatia believe they have found the body of an Australian hiker, eighteen months after he went missing.
Officers in Peljesac said they believed a body found by two men looking for snails in nearby hills was that of Adelaide man Andrew Modistach.
His rucksack, bearing an Australian flag, was found nearby.
DNA tests were being carried out on the remains to confirm the identity, but a police spokesman said: ?We are 90 per cent certain it is him.?
A forensic test was also being carried out to establish the cause of death.
Mr Modistach, 24, went missing in September 2005 when hiking alone up the 961m Sveti Ilija hill on the Peljesac Peninsula in the Adriatic region.
The civil engineer had been island-hopping along the Croatian coast with friends before he disappeared.
He was staying on the island of Korcula, the birth place of adventurer Marco Polo, when he left the group to visit Peljesac.
A massive search was launched involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and more than 50 people.
His distraught father, John Modistach, flew to Croatia, vowing to stay until his son was found.
But after weeks of scouring the area, no trace of him could be found and the search was called off.
John Modistach, who later flew home, said at the time he had accepted that he may never find out what happened to his son.
source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
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March 29th, 2007 20:26
Update : March 30, 2007
Hiker ‘fell while taking pics’
CROATIAN police said an Australian hiker who went missing more than 18 months ago died after he fell off the edge of a cliff trying to take a photograph.
Detectives said overnight there were indications the man fell to his death after getting too close to the edge of a cliff, probably to take a picture.
Croatian Rescue Service head Vinko Prizmic said: “Evidence found at the southern side of the St Ilija mountain suggest that Andrew Modistach went to take photos and then fell on the rocks.
“It appears he fell from the cliff and his body got wedged among rocks.
“Because of that it made it difficult to find him.”
Modistach went missing in September 2005 while hiking alone up the 961m Sveti Ilija hill on the Peljesac Peninsula in the Adriatic.
Source: http://www.news.com.au
April 2nd, 2007 20:47
More info on this rescue attemp with photos of rescue team working at Sveti Ilija can be found here:
http://svilija98.blog.hr/