German Biathlete Confirmed Dead After Accident On Pakistan Mountain
The dangerous nature of the site made rescue efforts "impossible", her agency said in a statement issued on Wednesday, which confirmed her death.
"Rescue efforts to recover her failed and the operation was suspended," the statement continued.
The accident happened around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range, according to a statement from her team on her official social media pages.
Dahlmeier's climbing partner was able to sound the alarm after reaching safety.
"It was determined that a helicopter rescue is not possible," Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior local official in Ghanche district, where the more than 6,000 metre mountain is located, told AFP earlier on Wednesday.
"The conditions at the altitude where she was injured are extremely challenging," he added.
Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, which organised the expedition, confirmed the ground rescue by a team of four that includes three Americans and a German mountaineer.
The 31-year-old was "hit by falling rocks," her team said on Tuesday, adding no one had yet been able to reach her due to the danger of further rockfalls and the site's "remoteness".
Earlier, a helicopter managed to fly over the location and rescuers saw that "the experienced mountaineer is at least seriously injured", it said.
"No signs of life were detected."
Muhammad Ali, a local disaster management official, told AFP that weather conditions have been "extremely harsh" in the region for the past week, with rain, strong winds and thick clouds.
Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, had been in the region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a statement on Wednesday calling Dahlmeier "an ambassador for our country around the world (and) a role model for peaceful, joyful, and fair coexistence across borders."
She won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first female 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.
She went on to become a commentator on biathlon events for German broadcaster ZDF, and also took up mountaineering.
She was a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of the mountain rescue, according to her team.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Germany
5 hours ago
- Local Germany
'We've been robbed': Will Germany get any summer weather this year?
If summer 2025 in Germany were a perfume, it's key notes would be cloud, fine rain and cool temperatures, with just a hint of storm. Before looking at whether the experts have scented something better in the future – and if we can all expect to find ourself bathing in glorious sunshine over the next few weeks – there is an important point to make first. Advertisement We've been robbed Not only because winters in Germany tend to be grey and endlessly long and we need all the sunshine we can get, but because we were misled! Numerous meteorologists and weather models predicted that a stable high-pressure system might develop over Europe, bringing consistent hot and dry weather this summer. High-pressure systems operate like big bubbles of warm, dry air, blocking out rain and unsettled weather, and allowing sunshine to dominate and temperatures to rise. It's the kind of pattern responsible for classic summer weather with lots of sun and temperatures above 30C. That's what we were led to expect. But in actuality Germany has seen an endless series of low-pressure systems - which lead to cloud formation and rain - while the southern parts of Europe are being cooked . READ ALSO: Eight amazing German museums to explore this summer Repeated low-pressure zones have brought rain, clouds, and cooler temperatures to Germany since early July. This weather pattern is often called a "west weather pattern" because the systems come in from the Atlantic Ocean to the west, pushing unstable, wet weather and cooler air across Central Europe. Adding insult to injury, the experts appear reluctant to acknowledge how bad the weather has been. Advertisement Prominent meteorologist Andreas Machalica, in comments made to SWR , actually described this year's summer as 'relatively average' in terms of sunshine and temperature, dominated by a "typical West weather pattern" common for Central Europe. Is the cool weather here to stay? Despite the distinctly mixed start to the summer, there is still hope for August and September, according to the experts. Meteorologist Dominik Jung thinks the weather will become noticeably warmer during the first week of August. In the second week, he says we can expect ' high summer temperatures ' above 30C in some regions. Andreas Machalica thinks 'there's still a really good chance August will see some sunny days.' Until August 10th, the German Weather Service (DWD) is forecasting cooler temperatures and rain showers for much of Germany. Although warmer weather is anticipated to gradually arrive in around mid-August, with less rain and temperatures potentially rising to around 30C in the second half of the month. READ ALSO: Where in Germany residents have been forced to move by extreme weather It's worth noting, however, that to predict the weather experts essentially make an educated guess based on the best real-time data that they have. Therefore weather predictions become increasingly unreliable the further in the future they look. Given the previously unforeseen weeks of grey skies and rain that Germany has seen, the tone of these weather forecasts read almost hopeful rather than confident. As much as I'd like to, I won't be putting my cagoule away just yet.
Int'l Business Times
10 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Japan Sets New Record High Temperature Of 41.8C
Japan logged two new heat records in a day on Tuesday, with the mercury hitting 41.6C and then 41.8C, the weather office said, warning temperatures may rise further still. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as climate change creates ever more erratic weather patterns, and Japan is no exception. The scorching temperatures in the city of Isesaki on Tuesday surpassed the previous record seen in the western Hyogo region of 41.2C only last week. Japan's summer last year was the joint hottest on record, equalling the level seen in 2023, followed by the warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago. Last week in tourist hotspot Kyoto the mercury hit 40C, the first time any of its observation points -- the oldest opened in 1880, the newest in 2002 -- had seen such a high, authorities said. Experts warn Japan's beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate -- or sometimes not fully blossoming -- because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering. The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period last year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October. July was also the hottest since records began in 1898, the weather agency said Friday, with the average monthly temperature 2.89C above the 1991-2020 average. South Korea also saw its second-hottest July, with an average temperature of 27.1C, according the meteorological office, which has been collecting such data since 1973. The hottest July on record in South Korea was in 1994, when the average temperature reached 27.7 degrees Celsius. In Japan some dams and paddies nationwide are experiencing a water shortage, with farmers complaining that the sizzling heat combined with the lack of rain is slowing rice cultivation. Precipitation in July was low over wide areas of Japan, with northern regions facing the Sea of Japan experiencing record low rainfall, it added. The rainy season ended about three weeks earlier than usual in western regions of Japan, another record. Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke. The elderly in Japan -- which has the world's second-oldest population after Monaco -- are particularly at risk. This year western Europe saw its hottest June on record, as extreme temperatures blasted the region in punishing back-to-back heatwaves, according to the EU climate monitor Copernicus. Dangerous weather stretched into July, with separate research estimating that climate change made the temperature up to 4C hotter, pushing the thermometer into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people and greatly worsening the projected death toll. Millions were exposed to high heat stress as daily average temperatures in western Europe climbed to levels rarely seen before -- and never so early in the summer. Pedestrians use battery-powered fans to cool themselves in Tokyo AFP
Int'l Business Times
14 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Beijing Lifts Rain Alert After Evacuating Over 80,000
Beijing lifted a severe weather alert on Tuesday but warned residents to stay vigilant against natural disasters after authorities evacuated more than 82,000 people over fears of more deadly floods in the Chinese capital. The municipal weather office had imposed a red rainstorm warning -- the highest in a four-tier system -- on Monday, forecasting heavy downpours until Tuesday morning. The office lifted the alert early Tuesday morning, saying in a social media statement the weather system had weakened as it drifted eastwards. But it continued to warn of isolated downpours across outlying parts of the city, adding that people "must not let up after strong rains have passed" as landslides or other disasters may follow. Authorities evacuated over 82,000 people at risk from heavy rainfall as of Monday evening, state news agency Xinhua said, citing the city's flood control headquarters. Officials warned of flooding risks in the northeastern suburb of Miyun -- the hardest hit by the recent deluge -- as well as southwestern Fangshan, western Mentougou and northern Huairou. Last week, floods in Beijing's northern suburbs killed at least 44 people and left nine missing, according to official figures. Some 31 fatalities occurred at an elderly care centre in Miyun -- prompting a local official to admit "gaps" in disaster readiness. "Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking. This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan," Yu Weiguo, Miyun's ruling Communist Party boss, said at the time. Residents of flood-hit areas told AFP journalists that they had been surprised at the speed with which the rushing water had inundated homes and devastated villages. At a meeting on Monday, the municipal government stressed the need to "restore the normal order of life and production in post-disaster areas as quickly as possible". Urgent tasks included road repairs, electricity and water resumption and the refurbishment of schools, hospitals and elderly care homes, officials said, according to a statement on a city social media account. China's public security ministry has also warned people to be on guard against "rumours", including exaggerating the extent of natural disasters to create panic, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. China has been lashed by heavy rains in recent weeks, with heavy flooding in the north followed by intense precipiation along the southern coast. Parts of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill on Tuesday by flooding caused by heavy rains, after the highest-tier rainstorm warning was issued for the fourth time in eight days. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. Taxis and other vehicles drive along a waterlogged Gloucester Road in Hong Kong's Wanchai district on August 5, 2025, amid a black rainstorm warning issued by the city's weather observatory AFP
