MONTE ROSA: Two climbers died of severe hypothermia on Monte Rosa in the Italian Alps after going missing on Saturday.

The two women, aged 29 and 28, were with a 27-year-old man who is now recovering from severe hypothermia at a hospital in Switzerland.

A team of alpine rescuers from Italy and Switzerland took part in the rescue operation which was made more challenging by high winds and large amounts of snow.

Monte Rosa is the second highest mountain in the Alps and western Europe, after Mont Blanc.