Islamabad, Feb 9 (IANS): Bad weather conditions have temporarily halted the search and rescue operations for three missing climbers on K2, the world's second highest mountain, a Pakistani media report said on Tuesday.

The dan news reported quoted an official from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media wing of the Pakistan Army, as saying that the rescue operations will resume on Tuesday "once the weather improves and all resources at the disposal of the military have been mobilised".

The official said all air and ground efforts are being utilised as the search and rescue mission enters the fourth day, acknowledging that due to the high altitude and extreme weather conditions, the search mission was facing difficulties.

The climbers, Pakistan's Ali Sadpara, John Snorri from Iceland and MP Mohr from Chile, lost contact with base camp on February 5 and were reported missing the following day, after their support team stopped receiving communications during their ascent.

News of the missing climbers came a day after a Bulgarian mountaineer was confirmed to have died on K2, which is located on the China-Pakistan border between in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, and Dafdar Township in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China.

It is the highest point of the Karakoram mountain range and the highest point in both Pakistan and Xinjiang.

The peak is known as the "Savage Mountain" because of its harsh weather conditions: winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour, and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius, according to a Geo News report.

Unlike Mount Everest, which has been topped by thousands of climbers, K2 is much less travelled.