The following can be attributed to Detective Constable Alun Griffiths:
A Southland police SAR team today recovered the bodies of two climbers from an area below Marian Peak in the Darren Mountains, Fiordland.
The two men were 22-year-old Conor Smith, a Greymouth man who had been living in Queenstown, and 27-year-old Sarwan Chand of Wanaka.
Police extends its condolences to the families of both men.
The matter has now been referred to the coroner.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre