By Denise Sternberg

Manila (Philippines) - A sigh of relief after days of searching: the missing tourist group of German hikers in the Philippines has been found.

Search teams discovered the men near a hydroelectric power station on Saturday morning, according to the city of Valencia. This was around 20 kilometers from Valencia, where the group had set off from.

"They were far, far off the trail," said Lt. Stephen Polinar, a spokesman for the police in the province of Negros Oriental.

Those found were two Germans, a Kenyan and a Russian. Their condition is stable, but they are still to be medically examined.

Two members of the group, another German and a Briton, had already been found on Friday in an impassable region near the Mount Talinis volcano.

Authorities must now investigate why the six men set off without a guide, said Lieutenant Polinar. Traveling without a guide is actually prohibited in the area.

The group should have contacted the local tourist office in advance and a guide would have been assigned to them, he added.

The men were reportedly hiking to two lakes in the famous Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park. As they had only planned a day hike, they had set off without much food, it was said.

Several teams had searched for them. Volunteers flew drones and searched for tracks from the air. The search proved difficult as the area around Mount Talinis, the second highest volcano on the island of Negros, was huge. Bad weather also made the operation more difficult.