Four climbers are found dead on the Alps’ highest peak

French authorities have opened an investigation

France-Mont Blanc (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

French rescue officials have found the bodies of two Italian and two South Korean climbers close to the peak of Mont Blanc on the French side after they went missing over the weekend in bad weather.

The Chamonix-Mont Blanc search and rescue team found the two pairs of climbers at an altitude of 4,700 meters (more than 15,400 feet) on the Alps’ highest peak.

They died of hypothermia, rescue officials said.

The unaccompanied climbers had alerted rescuers on Saturday afternoon, but weather conditions continued to deteriorate, preventing rescuers from reaching their location from the ground or by helicopter.

Two other Korean climbers were successfully rescued on Sunday morning at an altitude of 4,100 meters (more than 13,400 feet) after rescuers deployed a highly complex operation.

French authorities have opened an investigation.

In December last year, a British woman and her son died after an avalanche swept through an off-piste area of the French ski resort.

The 54-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son had been skiing with other family members, according to the Bonneville public prosecutor’s office.

Another skier, reportedly an instructor, has been left injured and a hiker was killed in a separate area after the avalanche on Mont Blanc.

An FCDO spokesperson said at the time: “We are supporting the family of two British people who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The avalanche hurtled through an off-piste section of the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains ski resort.