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 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, external 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.