Mountaineer Sergi Mingote has died during a climb of K2, the second highest summit on the planet, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday.

"Sad death of Sergi Mingote on K2. He wanted to keep on making history by being part of the first expedition to climb this mountain in winter and a tragic accident ended his life," Sanchez wrote on Twitter, describing him as a "great sportsman".

A group of Nepalese climbers on Saturday became the first to scale the mountain in winter but Mingote was not part of that team.

Mingote was at an intermediate camp and fell on his way down to the base camp, injuring his leg, according to his team. 

Four teams and about 60 climbers were on K2 this season, more in total than all the previous expeditions put together. 

"Shocked by the news of the accident that put an end to the life of a magnificent sportsman," tweeted Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa, calling Mingote a personal friend.