BREAKING NEWS: British father and son, 12, found dead after plunging 'hundreds of feet' down a mountain in the Alps Father apparently died while trying to rescue son who had fallen first Area known as 'The Junction' in Chamonix Valley notoriously dangerous Spring thaw of snow and ice creates potentially lethal conditions A British father and his 12-year-old son missing in the Alps have been reported dead. The pair, who have not yet been named, are said to have fallen to their deaths hundreds of feet down a mountain in Chamonix. They set off on Saturday morning to visit an area referred to by mountaineers as "The Junction," in the Bossons range of the Chamonix Valley. Tragedy: A British father, 48, and his son, 12, have been found dead in Chamonix in the French Alps after they plunged down a mountain It is a notoriously dangerous area, especially in the early Spring when thawing snow and ice creates particularly perilous conditions. The father, who was aged 48, called rescuers on his mobile phone at around 3pm on Saturday to report his son missing. It appears that the father had himself died as he tried to rescue his son. "The father said that the boy had fallen and he could not see him any more," said a local police spokesman. The call was then cut off and the caller could not be heard anymore. Calls were made to police in Buckinghamshire, where the pair are thought to have come from, and then a search was launched. Helicopters and specialist police officers were used in the search, but the bodies of the pair were found at 7.40 am. Patrice Ribes, of the high mountain police in Chamonix, confirmed the deaths, and that they appeared to have been caused by a "fall of several hundred meters." Captain Ribes said his officers were liaising with the British authorities over the tragedy.