The decision not to continue with the search was taken on Friday in agreement with the relatives of Aleš Holc and Peter Mežnar, after a deterioration in weather conditions.

A helicopter scanned the area of the missing pair's presumed whereabouts today but spotted no traces before the mission had to be interrupted due to bad weather.

The search was abandoned due to the time lapse, the findings so far on the ground, experience of similar rescue operations in the past and mainly due to bad weather, a release from the association reads.

"Considering the information collected we assume that the two Slovenian climbers have been injured trying to ascent Durbin Kangri II," the release said.

Holc and Mežnar, both experienced climbers, were members of the expedition Shaksgam 2014, which set out in mid-June to conquer lesser known peaks in the little explored area of the western Himalayas.

The goal of the Slovenian part of the expedition was to ascent the 6,898-metre peak Durbin Kangri II via a nearly 2,000-metre-high rock wall.

Holc and Mežnar last reported on 5 July but then failed to return to camp as agreed on 15 July.

The Himalayas have claimed more than 20 lives among Slovenian climbers since 1977.

Most recently, Tomaž Humar perished in Nepal after getting stranded in the south face of the Langtang Lirung (7,227m) peak with a broken leg in November 2009.