Three mountaineers died and 12 were injured after falling while climbing the Carihuairazo volcano in Ecuador, emergency services said on Saturday.
"
A 47-year-old woman and two men aged 45 and 50 died in this emergency
," the ECU911 emergency services said in a statement.
"
Due to weather conditions and nightfall, it was not possible to evacuate the bodies
."
The twelve injured, aged 39 to 58, were transferred to hospitals in the cities of Riobamba and Ambato.
The climbers were trying to reach the summit of the volcano in the central Andes when they fell 60 meters.
The Carihuairazo, a 5,018-meter peak located in the province of Tungurahua, is close to the Chimborazo volcano, the highest peak in the country, which rises to more than 6,200 meters.
The recovery of the bodies of the deceased, all Ecuadorians, will continue on Sunday.
