Buenos Aires - During the race in Argentina, a French motorcyclist from the Dakar Rally was found dead, according to the press release presented by the the organizers earlier today.

The body of 49-year-old Pascal Terry was found about 15 metres from his bike around 300 metres from the route used during Sunday's second stage.

The Yamaha rider had gone missing during the stage between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn in the province of Chubut.

"It is with great sadness that the organization has been informed that rider Pascal Terry, 49 years old, has been found dead in the night of January 6th to 7th at 2.10 am," the organizers said in a statement.

"The biker was in a very hard-to-reach area in the middle of very dense bush-like vegetation 15 metres from his bike.

"He had taken his helmet off and had sought shade. He had food and water by him.

"The Pampa province police and authorities will now carry out the necessary legal investigation in order to determine the causes of the biker's death."

Sources with the organizers said it was not believed Terry died as a result of an accident on his bike.

The rider had used a transmitter to inform organizers he had run out of petrol but no further signal was received until shortly before his body was found.

There have now been 56 fatalities at the Dakar rally since it was first held in 1979. Two competitors died during the last race, in 2007: Elmer Symons of South Africa and France's Eric Aubijoux.

On the first day of the current rally on Saturday, British driver Paul Green and his navigator Matthew Harrison were seriously injured after their car overturned.

The rally has been switched this year to Argentina and Chile after last year's edition in Africa was cancelled amid security concerns in Mauritania.