Authorities abandon recovery of German Olympian killed in Pakistan
Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to "dangerous" conditions at the site, Dahlmeier's management agency said Thursday.
In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would "continue to monitor the situation... and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date".
Several of Dahlmeier's colleages confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk.
German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team who had attempted a rescue but told reporters on Thursday: "We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish."
Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell told AFP it would be "disrespectful" to recover her body contrary to her wishes.
Marvell said "the recovery of Laura's body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter".
Dahlmeier's climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall.
"I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn't move again," Krauss told reporters.
Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support.
"It was impossible for me to get there safely.
"It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn't move, she didn't show any signs (of movement). I called out to her, but there was no response."
"She only had a chance if help arrived immediately," she said.
Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games.
Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Pakistan inflict more T20 misery on West Indies
The Pakistani spin specialists halted the West Indies' chase of 179 to ease to a 14-run victory under the lights in Lauderhill, Florida. Saim Ayub posted a half-century and his teammates produced a steady flow of runs as the West Indies slumped to a sixth T20 defeat in a row, having been whitewashed 5-0 by Australia on home soil earlier in July. When Jason Holder dismissed Ayub for 57, the West Indies sensed an opening but solid contributions from Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Nawaz and a spectacular six from Mohammad Haris helped Pakistan collect 58 from their last 31 balls. Pakistan dismantled their opponents' batting order with Mohammad Nawaz removing Johnson Charles and 18-year-old Jewel Andrew -- who became the youngest debutant for the West Indies in a T20 international -- for 35 runs each. The sides meet again in Lauderhill on Saturday for the second game of the three-match series before shifting to Tarouba for a three-match one-day international series.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
German biathlete Laura Dahlmeier dies in climbing accident 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.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Authorities abandon recovery of German Olympian killed in Pakistan
Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday, having been hit by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range. Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to "dangerous" conditions at the site, Dahlmeier's management agency said Thursday. In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would "continue to monitor the situation... and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date". Several of Dahlmeier's colleages confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk. German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team who had attempted a rescue but told reporters on Thursday: "We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish." Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell told AFP it would be "disrespectful" to recover her body contrary to her wishes. Marvell said "the recovery of Laura's body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter". Dahlmeier's climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall. "I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn't move again," Krauss told reporters. Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support. "It was impossible for me to get there safely. "It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn't move, she didn't show any signs (of movement). I called out to her, but there was no response." "She only had a chance if help arrived immediately," she said. Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.
