The 13 Dutch hikers who were reported missing in a mountainous area of Norway have been found alive and well by rescue workers, Norwegian police said on Friday afternoon.

A group of 12 rescue workers on seven snowmobiles managed to reach the location where the group is and bring them back to the village of Grotli. No details of what happened to them have yet been made public.

The search began after police received a distress call via satellite phone at around 8am this morning. Police attempted to make contact with the group, but the area has extremely poor mobile coverage, according to Norwegian media.

The area experienced 30-40cm of snow overnight, and bad weather hindered rescue operations. A search helicopter was forced to turn back, due to strong winds and snow, as was a snowmobile patrol.

The group are aged between 25 and 40, according to local police. They had been trekking in the area since Monday with snow shoes and had been due to reach their base by tomorrow.