Overview

• A joint search by Tirol police, Bergrettung St. Jodok and two helicopters located the bodies at the Hüttengrat's northern base on Tuesday afternoon.
• Police sources indicate that all signs point to a rope-team accident on steep alpine terrain.
• Investigators estimate the climbers likely plunged more than 200 meters before impact.
• The victims were a 28-year-old woman from Jena and a 34-year-old man from Erfurt.
• The episode underscores the Zillertal Alps' high-altitude risks, which account for hundreds of fatalities each year.