Helicopters have begun airlifting climbers stranded on the world's second-highest mountain, K2, in north Pakistan, reports say.
News agency Reuters said rescuers had reached two Dutch members of the group, 11 of whom are feared dead.
A witness reported that 25 climbers reached the summit on Friday, but nine froze to death after an avalanche swept away their fixed ropes.
Another climber fell to his death and a porter died recovering a body.
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In the deadliest day in K2's history, the avalanche occurred when a chunk from an ice pillar snapped away on a feature called the Bottleneck.
Cpt Azeemullah Baig told Reuters that a Pakistani army helicopter had already picked up the two Dutch climbers, and was due to return for a group of Italians on another spot.
"Thanks to Almighty Allah, the rescue operation has started this morning," he said.
Only a few hundred people have climbed K2 and dozens have died in the attempt.
The Death Zone
Expedition organisers only learned of the avalanche after a group of climbers arrived back at the mountain's base camp on Saturday evening.
The mountaineers included Koreans, Pakistanis, Nepalis, Dutchman and Italians, reports say, but exact details remain unclear.
Climbers call the area the Death Zone as lack of oxygen at that altitude can cause bodies to degenerate.
Reports from the mountain's base camp say two separate parties of Serbian and Norwegian climbers have been able to make it back and that a Serbian and a Norwegian had died on the slopes.
The Serbians say they buried their team member as it was impossible to bring his body back. The Norwegians say their companion was lost in the avalanche.
One of the climbers reported missing is Gerard McDonnell, 37, from County Limerick in Ireland, the first Irish person to reach the mountain's summit.
He was on the Norit K2 expedition. The Dutch leader of the expedition, and an Italian climber, were reported to be safe, but a French mountaineer was missing.
The fatality rate for those who reach the summit at 27% is about three times higher than that for Mount Everest.
One of the worst single-day death tolls was on Everest on 11 May 1996, when eight people died in summit attempts.
Six people fell to their deaths or disappeared during a storm on K2 on 13 August 1995.
The summit of K2 was first reached by two Italians, Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni, on 31 July 1954.
Do you know anyone involved in any of the expeditions or have any information about them? Have you ever attempted to climb K2?
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(BBC)
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