Rome  - Two climbers from an international expedition have died on K2 mountain in the Himalayas, and seven members of the team have gone missing, Italian media reported Saturday, citing the rescue operation coordinator, Agostino Da Polenza.

A Serbian and a Korean climber died as the 17-member rope team attempted to conquer K2, the second highest mountain in the world at 8,611 metres above sea level.

The team also included climbers from the Netherlands, Norway and Italy. There were no Italians among the missing, the reports said.

Fallen ice was hampering the rescue effort, the reports said.

Da Polenza had led last month's rescue efforts in saving two Italian climbers on Nanga Parbat. (dpa)