UPDATED Tuesday afternoon:
News agencies are now reporting that the PGHM mountain rescue services were able to continue their search for the missing Russian couple who left Chamonix to climb Mont Blanc on the 29th December and their bodies were found at 10:15. Rescuers found a tent buried in deep snow at the arrival station for the Tramway Mont Blanc at Nid d'Aigle and the frozen bodies of the two Russians inside. It is thought they died from hypothermia and asphyxiation from the heavy snow that fell on the roof of their tent in the storm. Russian authorities have said the bodies will be repatriated to Russia. A timely reminder that the couple, who went without a guide and ignored bad weather warnings, were ill-prepared for the expedition, despite not being novice climbers. Be careful out there!

A young Russian couple in their thirties have gone missing over the New Year period during an attempt to climb Mont Blanc. Back in September the couple had booked a room in a Servoz hotel as a 'basecamp' for their trip to the Chamonix valley. Tatiana Zakharova and Mikhail Zakharov arrived in Chamonix on the 24th December and it is believed they made a start for Mont Blanc on the 29th December.

On the 30th December Tatiana called her mother and said they were 'between 500 and 700m away from the summit' and confirmed that they had stayed overnight in refuge. It is though the couple took the Bellevue cable car and walked up the train tracks of the Tramway du Mont Blanc. Although the route is known as the easiest way to ascend Mont Blanc, this is in summer. The route is very rarely taken on in winter due to the erratic weather conditions. It seems the couple had no avalanche receiver and no skis - just ice axes and route plans.

It was only when a family member waiting for the couple to come through arrivals at Moscow airport on the 6th January that the disappearance was reported. Gendarmes investigating the case found return air tickets in their hotel room and a bottle of champagne, so the couple were intending to celebrate theta Mont Blanc climb and head back home to Russia.

Chamonix was hit with heavy storms from the 30th December, with gale force winds and 30cm of snow in Chamonix town at 1000m, so you can only imagine the weather conditions at 4000m. The rescue helicopter has been concentrating the search around the refuge areas and teams of rescuers have even been dropped by helicopter into the areas to make searches, but nothing so far.

The PGHM rescue services fear the chances of survival are not good and so much snow has fallen that the chance of finding bodies is also much reduced. It is claimed the couple were not novices, but they chose to take on their climb with very little weather information and did not take a guide.

If anyone came across the couple, they are asked to contact PGHM in Chamonix on 04 50 53 16 89.

The story echos the disappearance of Polish man Marcel Kuffel who lives in England, who came to the valley for climbing and has also gone missing, with no further news sometime between the 2nd and 12th December 2011.