Two British climbers have died on the slopes of the Matterhorn. They probably froze to death during a snowstorm.
The alpinists asked Thursday call for help when they ended up in the storm. Today their bodies were found at 4000 meters altitude, on the Italian side of the mountain. They were found under a blanket of snow half a meter thick, Italian media report. One of the climbers was wearing only light clothing.
“We have had a rapid change in the weather,” A spokesman said. “On Thursday afternoon and overnight into Friday, we had a lot of storms with snows in the high altitudes, and rapid falls in temperature.”
The Matterhorn is 4478 meters high, making it one of the highest mountains in the Alps. Since the mountain 150 years ago was climbed first, there are more than 500 climbers perished on the Matterhorn.
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.”
It is estimated that over 500 alpinists have died on the Matterhorn since the first climb in 1865, making it one of the deadliest peaks in the world.