Rescuers search for missing Mormon missionaries

Two Mormon missionaries vanished while hiking a volcanic peak on this eastern Caribbean island.

Photo: Rescuers search for missing Mormon missionaries

The missionaries, American and British, were last seen Monday, said Police Cmdr. Jean Michel Robinet. He declined to give their ages and names, saying only that the American was from Utah and had arrived in November, some five months after the Briton.

Police have searched dense vegetation surrounding Mount Pelee since late Monday but have not found any trace of the hikers.

"It's possible they fell," he said. "There are accidents from time to time, but they're rare."

Mount Pelee, which rises nearly 4,600 feet (1,402 meters), is a popular attraction in the French Caribbean island. The volcano, which is still active, erupted in 1902, killing tens of thousands of people. The most recent serious eruption was in 1932.