An 11 hour search for missing Irishman Ronan Lawlor in Torres del Paine national park in Chile has failed to reveal evidence of his whereabouts.
The search of a 20km route in the park was carried out by friends and cousins of the 28-year-old Laois man along with local park rangers and police.
It is believed that he intended to visit an observatory in the park and yesterday's search focused on two possible routes he may have chosen.
Irish journalist Patrick Sheil, who is in Chile, told RTE News that police and park rangers will review the search efforts tonight and decide if the use of sniffer dogs is required. Mr Shiel said that police were concerned that the large number of tourists in the park could distract sniffer dogs.
Mr Lawlor was last seen on November 18th travelling by bus to a park in the Patagonian region.
He last updated the blog which he has used to document his travels on November 17th. The following day, he sent a text message to his friend and this is the last moment of contact.
A rucksack belonging to him was found at a hostel in El Calafate, Argentina, on Friday and, since the discovery, search efforts have increased considerably.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has urged the authorities in South America to give more resources to the search.
Mr Lawlor's family are hoping the authorities will employ a helicopter to aid in the search.