On July 28, an unexpected accident occurred when Laura Dahlmeier, a former biathlon athlete (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting), was hit by a falling rock at an altitude of about 5,700 m on Laila Peak in the Karakoram Range, Pakistan. The unexpected accident left the former German athlete unconscious on the spot.
Laura is a former German Olympic champion, but now retired. This is an experience trip for her and her teammates to conquer Laila Peak in Pakistan.
According to witnesses, the accident happened so suddenly. They noticed that Laura was unconscious, with no signs of life.
Laura's companion, climber Marina Eva Krauss, said they could not approach Laura at close range because of the risk of further rockfall, which could pose a direct threat to her life.
"It was clear that the only way to save her was to call a rescue helicopter. However, she did not respond to my calls. She also stopped moving. I saw that Laura had been hit in the head by a falling rock and had a chance of survival only if she was given immediate first aid," said the companion.
Laila Peak is a mountain over 6,000m high located in the Hushe Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan region. This place is famous for its steep and technically difficult climbing routes. The accident happened when Laura and her group were descending the mountain at an altitude of about 5,700m.
Bad weather prevented helicopters from reaching the peak. Two professional mountaineering teams from Germany and the United States later confirmed the victim's death on July 30.
German climber and rescue team member Thomas Huber said that after Laura was hit in the head by a falling rock, other rocks continued to fall.
"She fell in a relatively safe position. However, any attempt to approach her at that time would have meant losing her life," Huber described.
According to climber Huber, Laura understood the risks of mountain climbing. When she was alive, she had expressed her opinion that if she were to find herself in a bad situation, she would not want anyone to risk taking her body down the mountain.
"We discussed bringing her body down the mountain. But the team also understood Laura's wishes and knew that this would be risky. Laura did not want to affect the people around her if she had to take the risk," her teammates shared.
This information was also confirmed by Laura's manager. This person said that when she was alive, Laura left a written will requesting that no one risk their lives to search for her body if she had an accident. She wanted to rest in peace on the mountain in the worst case scenario. Thus, her teammates respected her decision.
“She's on a beautiful mountain now. We should respect that," Huber said.
According to Mr. Kamal Khan - Commissioner of Baltistan Division, the rescue operation officially ended on July 30.
“They tried their best. But Laura was stuck in a completely inaccessible position, while rocks continued to fall,” Mr Khan told the media.
Laura was one of Germany's most successful biathletes. She won two gold medals and one bronze at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. She retired in 2019 at the age of 25. Since then, she has pursued her passion for mountain climbing and has traveled extensively to conquer peaks.
Sports people from all over have sent their condolences to the family of the deceased athlete.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/ly-do-thi-the-nu-du-khach-bi-bo-lai-mot-minh-tren-dinh-nui-cao-5700m-20250802110455209.htm
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