Laura Dahlmeier, Olympian in Biathlon, Dead in Climbing Accident


Olympian Laura Dahlmeier Dead at 31 After Climbing Accident Left Rescuers Unable to Reach Her 

Olympians are mourning one of their own.

Laura Dahlmeier, who earned gold in biathlon at the 2014 and 2018 Olympics for Team Germany, died after she was caught in a rockfall in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan on July 28, her management team confirmed. She was 31. 

“Laura Dahlmeier and her climbing partner were descending from the summit of Laila Peak,” the July 30 Instagram post, translated from German, began. “During a rappel maneuver at approximately 5,700 meters, Laura Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks. Her uninjured climbing partner immediately called emergency services, and a rescue operation was initiated.”

“Attempts to rescue her by her climbing partner were made for many hours,” the statement continued, “but the difficulty of the terrain and the ongoing rockfall made it impossible.” 

The remote location meant a rescue helicopter couldn’t reach the scene until the next morning, which is when Dahlmeier—a certified mountaineer and ski guide—was spotted by rescuers.

“Due to technical and rescue limitations of the helicopter, an aerial rescue could not be carried out,” her team explained. “A ground rescue was also not possible due to the ongoing risk of rockfall and the objective hazards at the accident site.”



Related Posts

Behind-the-scenes photos of the Grateful Dead in their early years

The Grateful Dead poses at The Panhandle park in San Francisco in 1967. From left are Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh…

Missing Brooklyn Heights father found dead in ravine

CLEVELAND — The mystery of where Calvin ‘Bub’ Jones has come to a heartbreaking close this week as his body was found. ‘We just want him home’:…

13-year-old boy dead after being swept into Md. drain by floodwaters

A 13-year-old boy died in Carroll County, Maryland, on Thursday after being swept away by raging floodwaters during evening storms that hit the region. A 13-year-old boy…

Relative of 4 found dead in Tennessee says her family ‘trusted’ murder suspect who’s on the run

A relative of four people found dead in Tennessee this week described her family as heartbroken and confused, saying Thursday on Facebook that the suspect has “literally…

Grateful Dead Keeps on Truckin’ for Its 60th Anniversary

The Grateful Dead is showing a touch of grey as the band turns 60, and San Francisco is pulling out the stops to celebrate: tie-dye buses, banners…

13-year-old, father dead in apparent murder-suicide at Ky. hotel, police say

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) – Police say a man and his 13-year-old son were found dead in a Nicholasville hotel room Tuesday in what investigators believe was a…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *