German biathlete Laura Dahlmeier killed by falling rocks on mountain in Pakistan

German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died in a climbing accident at a remote site on a mountain in northern Pakistan.

Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks on Monday while ascending Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range with a partner, who survived.

Authorities launched a rescue mission on Monday after receiving a distress signal from Dahlmeier’s climbing partner, Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers on Tuesday.

Dahlmeier’s partner had tried for several hours to rescue her, but that wasn’t possible because of the difficult terrain and persistent rockfall, a statement on Dahlmeier's Instagram page said.

“Her partner, who could no longer hear any signs of life, eventually decided to leave the danger zone and resume her descent,” according to the statement.

It was Dahlmeier’s express wish “that in a case like this, no one should risk their life to recover her,” the statement said, calling for that wish to be respected.

It said Dahlmeier’s family thanked the rescue team and climbers, who did their best to make her rescue possible.

Rescuers confirmed Dahlmeier's death on Wednesday, but could not retrieve her body because of unfavourable weather, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.

Any final decision on retrieving the body would follow the wishes of Dahlmeier’s family, Faraq said.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Dahlmeier’s parents, writing that she “was an exceptional sportswoman.”

He recalled that he presented her with the highest honour on 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 coexistence across borders,” he said.

Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families, but if the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died.

Dahlmeier was injured at an altitude of about 5,700 metres around noon on Monday, according to her management team in Germany.

She won seven gold, three silver and five bronze medals at Biathlon World Championships, along with 20 World Cup races and the overall World Cup in the 2016-17 season, according to her website.

She won gold medals in the sprint and pursuit races at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018 and the bronze medal in the individual competition.

Dahlmeier ended her biathlon career in 2019, when she was 25. She grew up in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the German Alps and turned to mountaineering challenges after ending her biathlon career.

She had been a state-certified mountain and ski guide since 2023 and volunteered for the local mountain rescue team.