Four climbers from Italy and South Korea were discovered dead on Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, after being missing for three days amid severe weather conditions.

The Haute-Savoie prefecture reported that the climbers died of exhaustion. Rescuers located the two South Koreans, who were found near the Italian climbers.

A helicopter from the PGHM mountain police in Annecy reached the site around 1:30 pm local time, discovering the bodies approximately 100 to 200 meters from the summit. The bodies were subsequently recovered and the families were notified.

Earlier, a team of Italian rescuers ascended the mountain on foot but did not locate the climbers’ bodies. Authorities had been alerted late Saturday about three climbing parties missing near the summit due to poor weather, and it was noted that they had set out without guides.

An extensive rescue effort had previously saved two South Koreans alive at 4,100 meters on Sunday morning. However, deteriorating weather conditions hampered further search efforts in the following days. A search helicopter was forced to turn back as late as Tuesday morning due to heavy cloud cover.

A senior PGHM commander indicated that they had briefly contacted the Italian climbers by phone to determine their location at 4,600 meters on the mountain’s north face before the call was disconnected. Mont Blanc, standing at 4,809 meters, is the highest peak in Western Europe and attracts climbers from around the globe.

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