British father and son, 12, found dead near Mont Blanc in French Alps

A British father and son, 12, trekking near Mont Blanc in the French Alps have been found dead.

The pair, from Buckinghamshire, England, were exploring a trail in the Bossons corridor in the Mont-Blanc range above the Chamonix Valley, the Independent reported.

The father, 48, fell to his death while trying to save his son, who had plummeted into a crevasse.

The Associated Press cited Capt. Patrice Ribes of the mountain gendarme service in Chamonix as saying the father called rescuers Saturday after the boy fell.

A police spokesman said:

"The father said that the boy had fallen and he could not see him any more. The call was then cut off and the caller could not be heard anymore."

Investigators believe the father died as he scrambled to reach his son.

Both of them were found dead early Sunday on a slope between Bossons and Les Houches beneath Mont Blanc, in an area climbers call "the junction."

Ribes said the cause of death was likely a "fall of several hundred meters."

The popular Mont Blanc massif is one of Europe's most deadly climbing areas.

ABC cited reports as saying that the pair had ventured into an area known for being particularly difficult without adequate equipment.