At least three people were killed in an avalanche accident on Chimborazo in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Three climbers were also missing, three were injured, according to a message from the Quito fire department on Sunday (local time).
The information on the total number of people who were in the protected area when the avalanche occurred initially differed.
According to preliminary information from the Ecuadorian emergency center, at least twelve people were affected.
They were therefore at an altitude of an estimated 6100 meters.
The Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador and attracts tourists from the South American country and from all over the world.
Persistent rain, strong wind and fog would not have favored the ascent these days, wrote the newspaper "El Comercio".