A Spanish caver trapped in Morocco's High Atlas mountains died on Saturday while rescuers managed to save two of his friends, the official Moroccan news agency reported.

"The two persons who were injured received first aid and will be evacuated to a hospital, but the third caver has unfortunately died," MAP news agency reported, quoting local officials.

Moroccan emergency services had earlier Saturday launched an operation to rescue the three Spaniards after finding them alive, days after they were reported missing.

The three men "fell from a cliff several hundred metres high" in the Tarmest region, local authorities in Ouarzazate said.

They added that the three cavers, whose names they did not release, "had left without being accompanied by a professional guide".