Police say bodies of two men found in sacks under rocks near Salang Pass in Hindu Kush mountains

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The bodies of two Germans who went missing while hiking in the Hindu Kush mountains nearly three weeks ago were found in sacks under a boulder in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, local officials said.

Abdul Basir Salangi, the governor of Parwan province, said the men were found under a large boulder about 2.5 miles (4km) from the south end of the Salang Pass, where they began their hike on 19 August.

Police General Rajab said the two bodies were inside cloth sacks. He did not know how the victims had died.

The deputy provincial police chief, Ziaul Rahman, said the bodies were very high up on the mountain and he had requested a helicopter to get them down.

The region where the two men disappeared is not controlled by the Taliban. Last month, Afghan police said they believed the Germans were lost or may have become victims of crime. The agency they were working for has not been named.

The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, had previously said German and Afghan officials were searching for the pair and could not rule out kidnapping.

In Berlin on Monday, the German foreign ministry spokesman, Andreas Peschka, said his office was aware of the reports, but was unable to confirm that the Germans had been killed or give further details.

"I can only say that we are pursuing all angles to clarify the situation as swiftly as possible," he said.

The two men travelled to the south end of the Salang Pass, north of Kabul, at around 8am on the day they went missing, and told their driver they were going into the mountains.

They promised to return at 4pm. The driver waited until 6pm before contacting the authorities.

The Salang Pass is a major route through the Hindu Kush mountains and connects the Afghan capital, Kabul, with the northern part of the country.

Germany has been a major contributor to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and currently has 5,200 troops stationed in the country, mostly in the north.