Fears grow for South Korean climber missing in French Alps

French rescuers said Monday they were increasingly concerned about a South Korean climber who has been missing on Mont Blanc since Sunday.

The 34-year-old man and a 44-year-old compatriot left a shelter situated at an altitude of 3,613 metres (11,853 feet) but ran into bad weather conditions after climbing 700 metres up a steep incline.

Battling difficult conditions on western Europe’s highest mountain, rescuers managed to reach the older man on Monday morning after several attempts but said there was no sign of the younger mountaineer.

“We are very worried about his companion, whom we have not managed to find,” said Captain Patrice Ribes of the Alps rescue brigade.

“We are waiting for a period of good weather so we can drop in rescuers (by helicopter) who can search the area on foot.”

A team on foot tried to reach the area at dawn on Monday but were forced to turn back by what rescuers described as extremely dangerous conditions in the French Alps.

A helicopter was eventually able to take off and rescuers located the older man and plucked him to safety.

He was said to be suffering from hypothermia but his life was not in danger.

It was not immediately clear how the two men became separated but rescuers believe the 34-year-old might have been making his way to a spot where he could get a phone signal to raise the alarm when he went missing.