A British hiker has died in the Canary Islands after reportedly disappearing while trying to reach a lookout point on of the Canary Islands' highest peaks. 

The unnamed walker, 53, was recovered this afternoon following a search by local authorities using a helicopter after he disappeared on Monday.

He had reportedly been trying to reach a viewpoint on Gran Canaria's Pico de Las Nieves (Snow Peak), which stands 6,394ft above sea level and is one of the Spanish archipelago's highest points.

His wife triggered the search, raising the alarm sometime around 5pm on January 22, but it was halted three hours later due to a lack of light until this morning, at which point his body was discovered.

Authorities say the man was found in the early afternoon in an area described as being 'difficult to access', and he was recovered at around 5pm in an operation involving Civil Guard officers, firefighters and Civil Protection officers.

The man is believed to have died while trying to reach a viewpoint on Pico de Las Nieves in Gran Canaria (file photo)

Pico de Las Nieves is one of Gran Canaria's tallest points and one of the highest in the Canary Islands overall

An investigation into his death is underway. Police sources who confirmed his nationality said the initial probe pointed to the incident being an accident.

A spokesman for the regional emergency services coordination centre confirmed the search operation and the subsequent discovery of the man's body.

He said: 'Around 1pm an emergency and rescue helicopter located the body of a man who had died and after receiving judicial authorisation, evacuated it a car park at the viewpoint at Pico de Las Nieves so the Civil Guard could take over.

'The alarm had been raised around 5pm on Tuesday. The information received was that a person had gone walking from the lookout at Pico de las Nieves and hadn't returned.

'The search operation was launched immediately.'

The dead man is thought to have been on holiday in the area, although police are yet to make any further announcements. The ongoing investigation is being coordinated by a local court.

Pico de Las Nieves is easily accessible by car, bike or foot. Despite its name there is hardly ever any snow on the peak.

It was regarded as Gran Canaria's highest peak, until it was ousted from its top spot by another mountain next to it, Morro de la Agujereada, which was discovered to be 19ft higher.

The tallest point in the Canary Islands is Pico de Teide on Tenerife, which is some 12,198ft tall. It is the highest point of any sovereign Spanish soil.