Emergency services have recovered the bodies of two women who died in “blizzard conditions” in the Victorian high country.
The bodies of the women were found by hikers near a remote hut at Nelse, about 400km north-east of Melbourne, on Friday afternoon. Their deaths are not considered to be suspicious, police said.
A recovery operation was conducted on Saturday morning.
Inspector Paul Hargreaves said police were still working to identify the women and contact their next of kin.
He said in the past three days temperatures in the area where the bodies were found had dropped to -2.8 degrees, with winds of 83km/h and snow falling.
“They are exceptionally hard conditions, blizzard conditions you would call them, and it’s likely those two people have succumbed to those weather conditions, causing severe hypothermia leading to their death,” Hargreaves told media on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s fair to say at this early stage that they may have been there the last two or three days.”
Hargreaves said that conditions on Mount Bogong can treacherous quickly, and said the women might not have been prepared for the weather they encountered.
He urged anyone who might have seen two women appearing “disoriented” and “not dressed adequately” earlier this week to contact Crime Stoppers.
It was unclear how long the women had been on the mountain, or when they died, but police were hopeful of identifying them soon.
“It is difficult with the circumstances we encountered, and it will take some time to positively identify them.”
Police were called after two hikers found the bodies near Cleve Cole hut about 12.50pm on Friday.
“Uniform officers, along with the search and rescue squad and air wing, responded and made their way to the isolated scene,” Victorian police said in a statement late on Friday.
“At this stage the identity of the women is not known but it appears the pair, believed aged in their 20s or 30s, may have been in the area to hike and camp.
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“Police are appealing for information from the public to assist in identifying those involved as we are not aware of any current missing person reports.”
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Due to the conditions and isolated location, police camped at the scene on Friday night.
Tasmanian police also conducted a major extraction operation on Friday, after the death of a woman in a rafting trip on the Franklin River.
In a statement, Tasmanian police said search and rescue teams completed an operation to rescue 11 people stranded deep in the Tasmanian world heritage wilderness area.
Tasmanian search and rescue teams conducting a rescue operation above the Franklin River. Photograph: Tasmania police
“Tasmania police search and rescue officers, helicopter resources and Ambulance Tasmania wilderness paramedics were involved in the treatment and retrieval of the group on Friday, near the Livingston Rivulet and the Coruscades rapid on the Franklin River.
“With permission from her family, sadly Tasmania police can today confirm a 49-year-old woman from southern Tasmania drowned on Thursday afternoon.
“Initial investigations indicate her raft flipped, and she was caught in rapids.”
No other members of the group – which included the woman’s partner – suffered serious physical injuries, police said.
Investigations are continuing but it is believed the group of friends were from Tasmania and interstate and had experience in the outdoors.
