A man has died in a fall on one of the UK's biggest mountains.

The walker was seriously injured on his descent from the 1,234m (4,048ft) summit of Aonach Beag, near Fort William in the Highlands, on Thursday afternoon.

He was with another man who managed to contact emergency services and Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team raced to the scene.

The injured man was airlifted by helicopter but later died, Police Scotland said.

It is the first reported death on Scottish mountains this year but follows a number of high-profile rescue operations in the Highlands since January 1.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police in Lochaber can confirm that late yesterday afternoon emergency services were alerted to a male walker who had fallen whilst descending from the summit of Aonach Beag.

"Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team were contacted and with the assistance of rescue helicopter 951 the man was rescued from the mountain, however, very sadly he had sustained fatal injuries.

"Lochaber Police are liaising with the man's next of kin and a report is being prepared for the procurator fiscal.

"The man was walking with a male companion who was not injured. Police would like to thank partner agencies for their assistance during the incident."

Four major rescue operations in the first few days of the New Year have prompted a warning from mountaineering leaders.

Shaun Roberts, of the mountain centre Glenmore Lodge, said anyone taking to the hills needs to ''ask questions of themselves'' before setting off.

On Wednesday, two people were airlifted from Ben Nevis after one of them injured an ankle.

Before that, a couple and their dog were rescued after spending the night in a bivvy bag in the Cairngorms when the weather closed in on their New Year's Day walk.

Robert and Cathy Elmer, from Leicestershire, were reported missing on Sunday when they failed to return from their walk but they were found by mountain rescue teams on Monday afternoon.

The next day, two young mountaineers were praised as ''heroes'' for carrying a hypothermic walker to safety from Ben Macdui - Scotland's second highest peak.

And a search is ongoing in Glen Affric for a Dutch tourist not seen since setting off on a walk from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh on December 28.

Mr Roberts said: ''What's really important about when people plan their day is the information that they put into the planning.

''We're kind of blessed with a quality avalanche information service and also quality weather forecasts. They're at our fingertips.

''Also, people need to ask some reasonable questions of themselves in terms of experience of the snow.

''Often, if there is doubt, that's normally pretty much a red flag in terms of have you got the right information and do you have the right experience to interpret the information you've got.''