Rescuers have found two bodies of the six Russian canoeists who had been missing in northwest China's Xinjiang since September 2, sources with the local rescue headquarters said Saturday.

Four rescuers, including three Russians and a Chinese, crossed the river and found the bodies around 01:20 PM on Saturday under the canoes which were spotted earlier on the upper reaches of the Yurungkax river, said Zhang Shaoyun, deputy chief of the rescue headquarters.

The bodies have been transported back to the northern bank of the river, and will later be sent back to Hotan, Zhang said.

An eight-member group, including five Russians and three Chinese, were parachuted Saturday morning to the search area, where eight Chinese rescuers have already been camped.

The six Russian tourists failed to meet their Chinese interpreter in Hotan in southern Xinjiang as planned on September 2 after they began a canoeing trip on the Yurungkax River in mid-August.

On Wednesday, clothes, irons bars used to fix canoes and two red canoes were spotted by searchers using a telescope, and confirmed to be abandoned by the missing Russians.

Search for the other four missing Russians continues.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2007)