Four die in avalanche

An avalanche on a snow-capped volcano in Ecuador killed at least four climbers and injured others, local officials reported.

The avalanche struck a group of about a dozen mountaineers while at an altitude of 6100m on the dormant Chimborazo volcano, Ecuador’s highest peak, in the central Andean region, the local security service said.

It did not identify the climbers or their nationalities, but the peak attracts both Ecuadorean and foreign climbers.

Chimborazo, which rises 6263m above sea level, is covered in snow and glaciers yearround and is located near the town of Riobamba.