German climbers stranded in Swiss Alps brought to safety

Two German climbers who were stranded near the summit of a 4,000-metre peak in the Swiss Alps were rescued early on Friday, the Italian mountain rescue service said.

The two men were picked up by a helicopter and flown to a hospital in the north-western Italian city of Aosta, it said, describing the climbers' condition as "generally good."

The mountaineers were climbing the Breithorn peak on Thursday, when their rope got caught. With no more rope to continue their descent, they found themselves in a life-threatening situation.

Several attempts to reach them by helicopter failed on Thursday due to poor visibility and a high risk of avalanches, the rescue service said.

The Breithorn mountain ridge in the Valais Alps straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy, and is usually climbed from the Swiss side via Klein Matterhorn.

Its highest point, the western summit, reaches 4,160 metres.

The Swiss Alpine Club SAC describes the range as "a huge glaciated wall with several peaks."

The Italian authorities responsible for the rescue operation requested assistance from the Swiss Air Zermatt rescue service on Thursday. Air Zermatt sent a helicopter with specialists onboard, but the crew had to abort the mission due to adverse weather conditions.

Responsibility for rescue operations depends on the exact location of the climbers in distress and the weather, an Air Zermatt spokesman said.