PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain peak in northern Pakistan after a climbing accident, a government spokesman said Wednesday, and efforts are underway to retrieve her body.
Rescuers have confirmed Dahlmeier's death on Laila Peak, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.
Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medalist, was climbing Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range when she was struck Monday by falling rocks.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers comprising local mountaineers and porters resumed efforts on Wednesday to reach injured German Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier on a peak in northern Pakistan, officials said.
Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government, said rescuers were racing against time to reach Dahlmeier despite bad weather on the Laila Peak, where she has been stranded since Monday following a mountaineering accident.
Dahlmeier, who also won the 2017 women’s biathlon World Cup, was climbing Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range when she was struck by falling rocks.
Climbers including two Americans attempting the same ascent are trying to join the rescue operation. Military helicopters were on standby but have been unable to deploy due to low visibility and ongoing bad weather and rainfall, Faraq said.
Dahlmeier, 31, will be brought to the city of Skardu when she is rescued, Faraq said.
Local authorities launched the rescue mission Monday after receiving a distress signal from Dahlmeier’s climbing partner, Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers Tuesday.
Dahlmeier was injured at an altitude of about 5,700 meters (18,700 feet) around noon Monday, according to her management team in Germany. German broadcaster ZDF reported she suffered serious injuries in a rockfall.
“There is still no clarity on her condition,” Alpine Club of Pakistan Vice President Karrar Haidri told The Associated Press. “She sustained serious injuries, but she has oxygen with her, and injured climbers have been known to survive for days."
“With heavy clouds choking the sky and rain falling on the high slopes of Laila Peak, rescuers are pushing through dangerous terrain to reach her," Haidri said.
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.
