Polish mountaineer falls to death in Pakistan's north

A Polish climber has fallen to his death while attempting to summit a peak in northern Pakistan, an official from the country's Alpine Club confirmed Saturday.

Ilczuk Michael Jakob fell Thursday as he was attempting to scale Dhee Dasth Sar, an approximately 6,000-metre (20,000-feet) mountain in the Karakoram range.

"The rescue team confirmed the death of Mr Ilczuk Michael Jakob, who fell down during climbing and got a serious injury", Karrar Haidri, spokesman for the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told AFP.

His climbing partner Bodganski Jakob had attempted to render aid but Ilczuk Jakob succumbed to his injuries and harsh weather on Friday, Haidri said.

Bodganski Jakob was later rescued and picked up from base camp by an army helicopter.

Northern Pakistan is a magnet for mountaineers and is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, including K2.

At 8,611 metres, K2 is the world's second-highest peak but is a more challenging climb than Mount Everest.

Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Karakoram range, Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region has 18 of the world's 50 highest peaks.

It is also home to three of the world's seven longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Hundreds of its mountains have never been climbed.