The two men in their 40s, reportedly experienced skiers, had been in contact twice with officials on the island, but the connection had been very poor.

The Polish tourists were headed to Svalbard's highest mountain, Newton Peak, when hit by the storm. Their emergency sender was set off in the Tempel Fjord on Spitsbergen.

"We have been in touch with them by satellite phone. The weather is extremely bad and so is visibility. The have lost their tent and one of them has lost a boot. There is danger of frostbite," said Synnøve Haga at the Svalbard governor's office.

Haga said that she hoped snowmobiles sent into the tundra would find them at their given position within a few hours, but emphasized that the weather conditions and visibility were both terrible.