Death climb brothers texted wives

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

Two brothers who fell to their deaths on Mount Snowdon in north Wales sent text messages to their wives hours earlier, it has emerged.

Christopher McCallion, 29, from Bristol, and James, 35, who lived in Weston-Super-Mare, fell about 1,000ft (305m) in freezing conditions.

James was expecting his first baby with wife Vanessa while Chris leaves his wife Katie and baby James.

Both wives received texts on Saturday saying "I love you".

Their bodies were discovered on Monday 2 February having fallen from the notorious black spot on the mountain's west side at Clogwyn Coch.

Treacherous conditions

On Sunday night Vanessa reported the pair missing and a full-scale search got under way.

James and Chris's surviving brothers Daniel and Tomas said they had all been best friends and would be missed.

Chris, a triathlete, had competed in Iron Man events and is believed to have been on the mountain to train with his brother for future challenges.

Volunteers from the Llanberis and Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue teams joined forces with North Wales Police and the RAF Squadron 22 to mount a search operation on Sunday evening.

It was thought the pair were crossing the treacherous stretch without ice axes or climbing crampons as the weather changed for the worse.

An inquest into the deaths has been opened and adjourned.