Two British climbers found dead on Matterhorn in the Alps

The bodies of two British climbers have been found on the Matterhorn in the Alps. A search operation was launched after the men disappeared in bad weather.

The men, had been climbing a regular route from the southern Italian side and were on the Cresta del Leone, Sky News reports.

They had sent out an alert from the mountain on Friday (5 August) as temperatures plummeted, however rescuers were unable to fly to their location due to high winds.

The climbers bodies were found buried in snow in a ravine at an altitude of 4,000m on Saturday morning, BBC News reports. The identities of the mountaineers have not yet been released.

A member of the Italian mountain rescue team said the climbers had been poorly equipped and ill-prepared for the unexpected storm with only light clothing.

"We have had a rapid change in the weather. On Thursday afternoon and overnight into Friday we had a lot of storms with snows in the high altitudes, and rapid falls in temperature," he said.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of two British nationals in Mount Cervino [the Matterhorn], Italy and we are in touch with local authorities."