THE brothers and father of a York man buried under a huge avalanche in Spain have rushed to the scene to help in searches.

John Hogbin, 41, is believed dead following the avalanche on Sunday, one of the largest recorded in the Sierra Nevada mountains above Granada city.

His two companies escaped with only minor injuries.

Mr Hogbin, an experienced mountaineer, was born in York and lived on Beckfield Lane in Acomb before the family emigrated when he was young.

He was a widower with a four-year-old son and had been living in the small village of Zafarraya.

His brothers Allan and Manuel, and his father Christopher, a mechanic and former aircraft fitter, have been helping rescue teams in daylight searches and have spoken of their fears.

Manuel Hogbin said the family accepted it would be “almost a miracle” to find his brother alive. Praising the rescue efforts, which has involved the mayor of Zafarraya, Manuel said “we are hoping that they find the body”.

The rescue effort, reduced on Wednesday to a team of nine, is hampered by snow piles that are up to 26-feet deep in the Barranco de San Juan (the Gorge of Saint John) where the avalanche occurred.

Sniffer dogs have also been removed from the search, which may conclude today, according to reports.

Manuel Hogbin said his brother was a mountain lover and was accustomed to both summer and winter conditions.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We are aware that a British national is reported missing in the Sierra Nevada mountains on February 20. We are in contact with the Spanish authorities who have resumed a search of the area.”

The Sierra Nevada mountains continue to be under heavy snowfall. Ski resort company Cetursa warned of a high avalanche risk in off-piste areas after big snowfalls last week.