As the Dakar Rally inaugurated its first South American event last month, motorbiker Pascal Terry disappeared somewhere in Argentina between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn during the event's second stage.

The 49-year-old's traces had seemingly vanished; he was found lifeless three days later, lying in the bush about 15 metres form his bike.

"We are investigating the circumstances of his death, the probable causes, and to determine if someone's responsibility is at cause for the death of Pascal Terry," Raul Miguez declared to AFP. Miguez is assistant to Argentinean judge Alvaro Reyes, who is involved in the probe.

The ongoing investigation's purpose is to determine the conditions in which the search for the Frenchman were carried out. 56 hours elapsed between the activation of Terry's emergency beacon and the discovery of his body by an ASO search party.

"We believe that we still have many leads to verify before determining if the rally organisers are guilty of negligence," Miguez added.