CHENGDU - Rescuers are searching for 14 mountain climbers who have been missing for 12 days since they began their trip in Southwest Sichuan province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The group, nine tourists from Shanghai and Zhejiang, one local guide and four porters, lost contact with outsiders since they entered the Haizi Ravine, a famous tourist site in the mountainous Aba prefecture of Sichuan, on September 30, sources with the Aba government said.

Six of the nine tourists had registered in the region's outdoor activity management center, applying to camp in the tourist site from September 30 to October 2, according to the sources.

Relatives of the mountain climbers reported the case to the local administration on Sunday, saying the tourists were planning to traverse the mountain via an uncertain route.

Rescuers failed to locate the climbers after they received the report, and the Aba government has since mobilized more manpower to continue the search.