A climber who was rescued following an avalanche in the north Lochaber area of the Highlands has died in hospital, Police Scotland said.

The climber was one of two people who were airlifted to hospital following the avalanche in the Creag Meagaidh area of north Lochaber.

A coastguard helicopter, several mountain rescue teams and search and rescue dogs were all scrambled to the mountain range - around 19 miles north east of Ben Nevis - after being alerted to the incident at around 3.15pm on Wednesday.

The other climber is said to be in a serious condition.

Creag Meagaidh is a mountain on the north side of Glen Spean and is an area known for ice climbing. The avalanche risk in the area was described as "considerable" on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, efforts to locate experienced climbers Rachel Slater, 24, and Tim Newton, 27, on nearby Ben Nevis were suspended on Tuesday after five hours of searches due to treacherous weather conditions.

The pair, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, went climbing over the weekend and were reported overdue on Monday.

No foot searches took place on Wednesday because of the awful conditions but the search and rescue helicopter was deployed during breaks in the weather.

However, that helicopter later had to be diverted to assist following the avalanche at Creag Meagaidh.

Inspector Donald Campbell said: "Police Scotland would like to thank all rescue personnel involved in today's rescue for the rapid response and determination displayed in very challenging conditions.

"Sadly, one man succumbed to his injuries and his climbing companion remains in hospital."