Mission to Find Mummified Body at Mexico's Highest Peak

Mexican climbers embarked on an expedition on Thursday to recover a frozen, mummified body discovered near the peak of the country's highest mountain.

The 12 local civil protection mountaineers left before dawn after climbers reported seeing a frozen skull 310 meters (1,000 feet) from the peak of the 5,610-meter Pico de Orizaba, authorities said.

Local media said the body could be of a climber who vanished 50 years ago.

Juan Navarro, mayor of the town of Chalchicomula de Sesma, said officials hope the mission will not be affected by "a cold front that could change the weather and cover the body again."

The body will be taken to the Puebla state prosecutor's office to undergo DNA identification tests.

The mountain, also known as the Citlaltepetl volcano, is popular among climbers, though some have got lost or suffered fatal accidents in the past.