German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain peak in northern Pakistan after a climbing accident, a government spokesman said, and efforts are under way to retrieve her body.
Rescuers confirmed Dahlmeier’s death on Laila Peak, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.
Ms Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medallist, was climbing the peak in the Karakoram mountain range on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks.
Local authorities launched the rescue mission after receiving a distress signal from the 31-year-old’s climbing partner Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers on Tuesday.
Ms Dahlmeier was injured at an altitude of about 18,700ft on Monday at noon local time, according to her management team in Germany.
Her body will be taken to the city of Skardu when it is retrieved by rescuers, Mr Faraq said.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Ms Dahlmeier’s parents, writing that she “was an exceptional sportswoman”, and recalling that he presented her with the highest honour of German sport, the Silver Laurel Leaf, shortly after she won her first Olympic gold medal in 2018.
“Laura Dahlmeier was an ambassador for our country in the world, a role model for peaceful, cheerful and fair co-existence across borders,” he said.
She won the 2017 women’s biathlon World Cup and took gold in the sprint and pursuit biathlon events at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Ms Dahlmeier grew up in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the German Alps and turned to mountaineering challenges after ending her biathlon career in 2019. She had been a state-certified mountain and ski guide since 2023 and volunteered for the Garmisch-Partenkirchen mountain rescue team.
Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year and accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes.
The region has also been battered by above-normal seasonal rains, triggering flash floods and landslides. Since last week, at least 20 Pakistani tourists have been missing after floodwaters swept them away near the northern district of Chilas.
