MEXICO CITY, Aug 21, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Four Mexicans fell and died Sunday while climbing the country's highest mountain, officials said.

They were scaling the 5,600 meter (18,500 foot) volcano called Pico de Orizaba, in south-central Mexico.

An operation to recover the bodies is underway, the Puebla state's civil protection department said on Facebook.

The climbers fell while scaling the southern slope of the mountain.

Pico de Orizaba is the highest mountain in Mexico and the tallest volcano in North America.

In April a Mexican climber named Perla Tijerina spent 32 days at the top of the mountain as part of a dare.