Fears for ex-biathlon star Dahlmeier after remote Pakistan rockfall
Berlin
Former German biathlon star Laura Dahlmeier has been 'at least seriously injured' in a rockfall while mountaineering in Pakistan, her management has told DPA.
Dahlmeier's team said on Tuesday that the double Olympic and seven-time world champion was caught by falling rocks some 350 metres below the summit of the 6,069-metre Leila Peak in the Karakoram range while climbing with a mountaineering partner on Monday.
It said that no one has been able to reach her yet due to the ongoing high risk of falling rocks.
Also due to the remoteness of the area, a rescue helicopter was only able to reach the accident site on Tuesday morning.
During the overflight, it was established that the experienced mountaineer was 'at least seriously injured.' There were no signs of life to be recognised.
The search was suspended on Tuesday night due darkness, a spokesman for Pakistan's tourism authority told dpa. Efforts will resume in the morning.
The rope partner immediately made an emergency call when the accident happened, and a rescue operation was instantly launched.
An international mountain rescue team is coordinating the operation, the statement said, supported by experienced international mountaineers present in the region.
Dahlmeier, 31, is a state-certified mountain and ski guide, and an active member of Germany's mountain rescue organization. She is considered an experienced and risk-aware mountaineer.
She had been in the Karakorum region since the end of June with friends and had climbed the 6,287m Great Trango Tower on July 8. The Laila Peak was the second planned summit.
She told DPA last year that for her, 'a certain spirit of adventure, a certain loneliness, choosing your own route, sporting spontaneity and flexibility' are important when mountaineering.
Dahlmeier has criticized mass tourism in the Himalayas and said that she was not interested in climbing the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.
Bavarian Dahlmeier has been mountaineering, as well as trail and mountain running, for years, especially since ending her glittering biathlon career at age 25 in 2019.
She made her World Cup debut in 2013 and went on to win 20 individual races between 2015 and 2019.
Her most successful season was 2016-17 when she won five golds and a bronze at the world championships as well as the overall World Cup title.
Dahlmeier won two golds and a bronze at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and her final tally from world championships was seven gold medals, three silver and five bronze.
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