Pakistan on Sunday evacuated around 120 foreign tourists, including a large number of Japanese and some South Koreans, stranded in the north of the country following violent, sectarian clashes in the region.

The town of Gilgit has been under an indefinite curfew since April third amid deadly clashes between Pakistan's majority Sunni and minority Shia communities.

The tourists have been safely moved to Islamabad. Officials at the Islamabad airport say Chinese, German, Japanese, South Korean and Thai people were among those evacuated.

Gilgit lies in the Karakoram Range of mountains which include the K2, the second highest mountain on earth. Many tourists begin their hike on the Karakoram or the Himalayas in Gilgit.