Urumqi - Rescuers have found two bodies of the six Russian canoeists who had been missing in Northwest China's Xinjiang since September 2.

The bodies were found around 01:20 pm on Saturday under the canoe which was spotted from across the riverbank on Wednesday. Four rescuers are trying to transport the bodies back to the northern bank of the river. The bodies will later be sent back to Hotan.

A massive search for the Russians was launched after they failed to meet up with a Chinese interpreter as scheduled on September 2 after paddling down the Yurungkax River in the Xinjiang region.

Chinese and Russian rescuers have parachuted Saturday in another effort to search for the six Russians.

The helicopter took off from the airport in Hotan of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region around 9:30 am.

It airdropped eight rescuers, including three Chinese and five Russians, around 10:35 am, to the upper reaches of the Yurungkax river where clothes and canoes confirmed to be abandoned by the missing Russians, were found on Wednesday.

The rescuers then joined another eight Chinese rescuers, who were camped at the river bank after failing to cross the 50-meter-wide river to reach the spot where the abandoned objects were found.

The rescuers discussed plans and made a second attempt to cross the river. The helicopter returned to the airport and took off later to continue the search after refueling.

A. Legoshin, head of the Russian rescue team, said the five Russians on board of the helicopter were experienced in canoeing and mountain climbing, and one of them could provide medical care if necessary.

The Russian rescuers also took satellite phones, tents, canoes and mountain climbing equipments with them, and joined the Chinese rescuers who were camped at the bank, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2007)