Two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has been found dead. The rescue operation for the 31-year-old German was unsuccessful after it was revealed yesterday that she had suffered a climbing accident in the Karakoram, Pakistan. She was swept away by falling rocks and there was no information whether she was alive.

The difficult terrain did not allow the rescue operation to be carried out by helicopter and so Dahlmeier was reached by land today.

Unfortunately, however, the rescue team was only able to establish death as a result of the accident.

The tragic news was confirmed by Dahlmeier's management team to the German news agency.

"Based on the findings from the helicopter flights and the description of the severity of the injuries by her climbing partner, it can be assumed that Laura Dahlmeier died instantly," a statement quoted by ZDF said.

Laura Dahlmeier is the Olympic champion in the sprint and pursuit from Pyeongchang 2018 and the bronze medalist in the individual competition at the same Olympics. She has seven gold medals from World Championships, as well as three silver and five bronze medals. Dahlmeier won the 2016/17 World Cup.

After the end of the 2019 season, she surprisingly announced that she was quitting active sports. | BGNES