Bodies of three missing climbers discovered in Slovenian Alps

The search for three missing Croatian mountain climbers in Slovenia's Julian Alps, came to a tragic end on Monday with the discovery of the two remaining bodies - with the first victim having been discovered late last night. 

The three climbers - part of a group of seven - were swept away by an avalanche on Sunday on Mount Tosc, a 2,275 metre high peak.

According to reports, the team of climbers had been returning from Mt Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, when a cold front brought a further 25 centimeters of snow to the area.

Slovenia's Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased mountaineers and their friends. He added that it was "one of the most serious accidents in recent times in the Julian Alps, in which lives have been lost".

Interior Minister Davor Božinović, who was on hand in Slovenia earlier today, also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

"It is a massive tragedy to lose three young people in a single day, and the news of their deaths has shaken us all," said Božinović.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković thanked Slovenia's emergency services for their efforts and offered his condolences to the families.

"I would like to thank all of the Slovenian services who invested great effort these past two days to find our climbers who died in this unexpected avalanche, and I extend my condolences to the families. We're very sorry, but unfortunately these are the risks of this kind of sport. We sympathize with the families and thank the Slovenian services for their effort and speedy reaction," added the prime minister.

This was the worst single accident in the Slovenian mountains since 10 June, 1997, when five mountain rescuers died during a helicopter-assisted exercise.