GRENOBLE, France (AFP) - The bodies of two Belgian climbers who were swept away by falling rocks and ice on France's Mont Blanc mountain were found on Saturday after two days of searching, police rescue officials said.

"They were under piles of rock and ice when we found them. Only parts of their bodies were visible," one officer said.

The two, aged in their 50s, went missing on Thursday as they were apparently trying to make their way to a shelter just over halfway up the snow-covered mountain, France's highest.

A search was mounted in the area after a rescue helicopter spotted one of their backpacks.