Three climbers missing since Saturday afternoon were found dead on Sunday in Helmos mountain in the Peloponnese, possibly because of an avalanche a spokesperson for the Greek fire brigade said.
A search and rescue operation had been under way since late Saturday, with the participation of the fire brigade, a helicopter, drones, and volunteers.
The three climbers were aged 50-55 years old and considered highly experienced in ice climbing, set off on Saturday morning to climb near Kalavrita Ski Resort.
It was only once night fell that the ski resort staff realised the trio had not returned and when they saw that their car was still parked where they had left it they immediately alerted the authorities.
Weather conditions were good, but rescuers saw signs of avalanche at the area where the bodies were found Sunday afternoon, around three kilometres away from the resort.
“Aerial and ground searches under way from the early morning hours detected the traces of an avalanche, a very large one, at the base of the slope. Most likely, this avalanche swept away the climbers in their attempt to approach the desired route,” Kalavrita Ski Resort said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
