Two climbers, a 67-year-old Japanese woman and a Spanish man, 50, and their Nepalese guide have died on Nepal’s rugged Dhaulagiri mountain, expedition organisers said Tuesday.

Chizuko Kono from Japan, Spain’s Juanjo Garra and Nepalese guide Dawa Sherpa went missing on Friday as they attempted to climb the world’s seventh highest peak, the organisers said.

Garra slipped and broke his ankle on the slope, organisers said, but it was not immediately clear what happened to Kono and her guide.

The trio, who were part of a larger group comprising 21 climbers, were confirmed dead by expedition organisers on Tuesday.

“On Friday afternoon Mr Garra slipped and broke his ankle and couldn’t walk any more,” Tika Gurung, the expedition organiser told AFP, saying that because it was late in the day an immediate rescue was not possible.