Two women found dead near Cleve Cole Hut on Mount Bogong

Two hikers discovered the bodies of two women near Cleve Cole Hut on Mount Bogong in Victoria's alpine region on Friday afternoon, prompting a search-and-recovery operation that recovered the remains on Saturday morning. The hikers alerted authorities at about 12:50 p.m. on Friday after finding the women in an isolated area near Lendenfeld Point northeast of the Falls Creek ski resort.

Victoria Police and the Search and Rescue Squad, supported by the police Air Wing, trekked to the remote location but were forced to camp overnight because severe weather and difficult terrain prevented an immediate helicopter extraction. Officers recovered the bodies on Saturday around midmorning. The two women have not yet been formally identified; police said they are believed to be in their 20s or 30s and that there are no current missing person reports matching their descriptions.

Inspector Paul Hargreaves said investigators believe the deaths are not suspicious and that the women likely succumbed to exposure during blizzardlike conditions in the high country. He said "it is likely the two people have succumbed to those conditions, causing severe hypothermia." Hargreaves added that it was not...