(Photo : tmx )
California hikers found days after vanishing on US tallest peak

Two hikers reported missing on California's Mount Whitney earlier this week were found dead, officials confirmed Thursday.

A hiker called authorities at around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday to report two hiking companions were overdue returning to their campsite, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office.

The two missing hikers had planned to climb down to the "notch," a flat area near the Mount Whitney Mountaineer Route. From there, they planned to ski or snowboard down to Upper Boy Scout Lake, where their campsite was located.

Mount Whitney has an elevation of 14,505 feet, making it the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S.

Multiple search teams and a helicopter crew launched a search for the missing hikers, but, "tragically, both hikers were later discovered deceased," the sheriff's office said.

Their remains were located in neighboring Tulare County, so the sheriff's office said the case would be handled by the Tulare County Sheriff-Coroner's Office.

The identities of the hikers were not released.

-With reporting from TMX.