A Spanish climber fell into a crevasse while scaling Ecuador's Chimborazo volcano and police have mounted a rescue operation, a police spokesman told Efe.

Jairo Domingo Peña apparently died in the climbing accident in the Andes, the police spokesman said, citing another climber.

The 31-year-old Peña fell about 60 meters (196 feet) down the crevasse while climbing the 6,210-meter (20,360-foot) Chimborazo, Ecuador's tallest peak, Fernando Anton Garcia, who was accompanying Peña, told police.

A special police mountain unit has traveled to the scene in an effort to locate Peña, who fell into a crevasse at an altitude of 5,600 meters (18,360 feet).

Thick fog has slowed the rescue operation by the officers, who belong to "elite units" from the GIR rescue division and the special operations group, the police spokesman said.

The 30-year-old Anton Garcia, who used a GPS beacon to notify police of the accident, was taken to the neighboring city of Ambato, where he is being assisted by Spanish diplomats.

Two groups of climbers - one made up of the two Spaniards and the other composed of eight Colombians - began climbing Chimborazo early Saturday.

The accident occurred around 4:00 a.m., the police spokesman said. EFE