Rescuers race to reach injured German Olympic champion stranded on mountain

Irish Examiner

4 days ago

Rescuers have resumed efforts to reach injured German Olympic gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier on a peak in northern Pakistan, officials said.
Workers and volunteers are racing against time to reach Ms Dahlmeier despite bad weather on the Laila Peak, where she has been stranded since Monday following a mountaineering accident, according to Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.
Ms Dahlmeier, who also won the 2017 women's biathlon World Cup, was climbing Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range when she was struck by falling rocks.
Climbers including two Americans attempting the same ascent are trying to join the rescue operation.
Military helicopters were on stand-by but have been unable to deploy due to low visibility and ongoing bad weather and rainfall, Mr Faraq said.
Ms Dahlmeier, 31, will be brought to the city of Skardu when she is rescued, Mr Faraq said.
Local authorities launched the rescue mission on Monday after receiving a distress signal from Ms Dahlmeier's climbing partner, Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers on Tuesday.
Ms Dahlmeier was injured at an altitude of about 18,700ft on Monday at noon local time, according to her management team in Germany. German broadcaster ZDF reported she suffered serious injuries in a rock fall.
'There is still no clarity on her condition,' Alpine Club of Pakistan Vice President Karrar Haidri told The Associated Press.
'She sustained serious injuries, but she has oxygen with her, and injured climbers have been known to survive for days.'
Ms Daimler won gold in the sprint and pursuit biathlon events at the 2018 Winter Olympics.