KARACHI, Pakistan

A Chinese mountaineer has died after being hit by falling rocks at K2, the world’s second-highest peak, in northern Pakistan, the country's official mountaineering association announced on Wednesday.

Guan Jing died on Tuesday night while descending from the summit of 8,611-meter (26,246-foot) K2, located in the scenic Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, which borders neighboring China, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement.

Her death marked the third fatal accident in less than a month in GB, home to five peaks above 8,000 meters.

German mountaineer and Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died while attempting to scale Laila Peak in GB on July 30.

In another incident, a Pakistani climber, Iftikhar Hussain, was killed and three others, including foreign mountaineers, were injured after an avalanche hit their location on K2 on July 19.

The latest accident occurred on the Abruzzi Spur route between Camp I and Advanced Base Camp — a section notorious for frequent rockfalls.

Guan had reached the summit on Monday with a group of climbers before beginning her descent.

Rescuers have launched an operation to recover her body, while other climbers who also summited K2 that day are now returning safely to base camp.

In total, more than 30 climbers reached the top of K2 on Monday.

K2, located in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, is considered one of the most dangerous peaks in the world due to its extreme weather and challenging climbing conditions.