The men were part of a group of four consisting of two New Zealand-based guides and two clients climbing the 3,724-metre (12,218 ft) Mount Cook, or Aoraki, when they fell from a ridge onto the west side of the mountain late on Monday. None of the men has been named by police.

Authorities were notified at around 11:20pm on Monday, and a search and rescue team located two members of the group uninjured in the early hours of Tuesday.

Helicopters continued to search through the night and located the two missing climbers deceased at 7am on Tuesday.

Their bodies were recovered around midday.

“We can now begin the process of returning these men to their families,” Canterbury Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker said in a statement.

“I want to thank all of those involved in the rescue and recovery. It has been a difficult period, most of all for the families of the two climbers and the wider community.”

Walker said one of the climbers was a US national.

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council said in a statement that one of the men who died was an internationally qualified mountain guide who was a “respected and valued member of the guiding community”. The other was his client.

Search and Rescue pilot Nigel Gee told local news outlet 1News that the two climbers had been connected by a rope when they fell from the ridge.

“They both slipped and went possibly about a 1,500-foot slide,” he said.

Over the past century, dozens of climbers have died on Mount Cook, where rockfalls are common, and avalanches often occur at higher altitudes.

Scores more have died in the surrounding national park, which is known for its mountains and glaciers.