CANBERRA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two rock climbers died of a suspected cliff fall in remote South Australia (SA).
Emergency services were called to the Moonarie Climbing Area in the Flinders Ranges, 500 kilometers north of Adelaide, on Sunday afternoon when two men, aged 62 and 44, did not return to their camp.
Police said that the two were found dead by a drone in an extremely remote and inaccessible area at 4 p.m. local time.
Police described the incident as a climbing accident and the area has been cordoned off.
Officers from SA Police Special Tasks and Rescue (STAR) returned to the site on Monday to attempt to retrieve the bodies in what is expected to be a prolonged major operation.
"Sadly, a 62-year-old man from Norwood and a 44-year-old man from Fairview Park were located deceased at the scene," SA Police said in a statement on Sunday night.
"The planning for the retrieval operation is its early stages. STAR Operations are expected to fly to the region tomorrow morning where they will be assisted in the recovery by local patrols and State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers."
The police said the families of the dead have requested privacy this time.
The last death in the area was of a Victorian man who fell 50 meters onto a ledge in 2014 and it took eight hours to retrieve his body.
The local indigenous community in the Moonarie area asked people do not climb the cliff faces and geographic formations because of their cultural significance.
