Two men were found dead in a remote forest while searching for Sasquatch, according to authorities in Washington State.

The two men from Portland, Oregon, were found dead after a three-day search was launched on Christmas Day after a family member reported that the pair had not returned from a trip to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

The "grueling" search involved over 60 volunteers searching with aircrafts and dogs in "heavily wooded" terrain and brutally-cold weather conditions, the Skamania County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

"Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness," the statement said.

The sheriff's office found a car belonging to the victims near the town of Willard, the statement said, and the search re-focused to that area. Drones were also used, and a Coast Guard helicopter team was called in to help with the search.

Officials have not provided the names of the two victims, aged 37 and 59.

Weather conditions in the Cascade mountains had been frigid in the days before and during the search, which included snow, freezing rain and temperatures falling below freezing.

Rescuers also had to battle high water levels in rivers and fallen trees.

Hundreds of sightings of Sasquatch, which is also commonly known as Bigfoot, have been reported in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and western Canada. Alongside the Loch Ness Monster, the creature is one of the world's most famous cryptids.

There have been so many alleged sightings that some communities have taken measures to protect the hairy mythic creature.

In Skamania County, harming a Sasquatch carries of fine of $1,000 (£797) and one year in prison. The law, initially passed in 1969, was intended to protect both Sasquatch and elk hunters with particularly large beards, according to the Skamania Chamber of Commerce.