Picture shown is for illustrative purposes only.

A Pakistani mountaineering official says an army helicopter has airlifted two British climbers to safety and that efforts are underway to rescue their three climbing partners stranded on a peak in the country's north.

Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said on Monday that the two climbers were rescued after the five-member British team had an accident at Koyo Zom peak on Sunday. He didn't elaborate on the nature of the accident.

He said the three remaining climbers have been spotted and that a helicopter is trying to reach them.

Hundreds of local and foreign climbers scale mountains and peaks in northern Pakistan every year and accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden changes in weather.