Mountain deaths inquest is opened

The brothers were found dead on a rock face below Snowdon's summit

An inquest has been formally opened and adjourned into the deaths of two brothers who fell hundreds of feet on Snowdon.

Christopher John McCallion, 30, was from Bristol and his brother James Alexander McCallion, 35, lived in Weston-Super-Mare.

Investigations into what happened are continuing after the bodies were found on a rock face below Snowdon's summit.

They were reported missing on Sunday night after a weekend trip.

Mountain rescue teams from Llanberis and RAF Valley had started searching for the pair on Sunday night and resumed early on Monday morning.

RAF Valley were alerted at 0300 GMT on Sunday and a search was started. It was resumed at 0810 GMT on Monday.

The alarm was raised at about 2100 GMT on Sunday after they failed to return home.

The climbers' bodies were found at Clogwyn Coch, not far from the summit of Snowdon.

Ian Henderson, from Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, said the two men had fallen a couple of hundred metres and were found close to each other by a search dog.

He said they were reasonably well-equipped but advised experienced climbers to consider whether to climb Snowdon in the current conditions.

"I would strongly recommend that people without a lot of experience and the right equipment don't venture on to the mountain," he said.

"If people are at all unsure they should stay away. More heavy snow is forecast on the mountain."

The mountain region had received snow showers on Sunday night and the Met Office was forecasting further snowfall and temporary blizzard conditions at times on summits and high slopes in Snowdonia.