Two mountain climbers have died on Aoraki, New Zealand's tallest peak, and two others from the same group were rescued, authorities said.

One of the two people killed in a fall was from the U.S., officials said Wednesday. Specialists from rescue organizations and government agencies recovered the dead climbers' bodies late Tuesday, according to Police Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker.

Authorities, she said, were working with the U.S. consulate. A coroner in New Zealand will investigate the deaths.

The other person who died was an internationally-recognized climbing guide and a member of the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association, the organization said in a statement.

Sgt. Kevin McErlain told The Timaru Herald the pair had been connected by a rope when they fell near the summit of

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