German Olympic champion Dahlmeier seriously injured in Pakistan mountaineering accident

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) -German biathlete and double Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier has been seriously injured after being struck by a rockfall while attempting to summit a 6,094-metre peak in northern Pakistan, a provincial government spokesperson and a Pakistani climbing federation said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Monday when Dahlmeier was hit by a landslide in Hushe Valley in the northern mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan province, said spokesperson Faizullah Faraq, adding that bad weather meant a helicopter had been unable to reach the site.

The rescue operation is underway with the cooperation of the Pakistan army, Faraq added.

The incident occurred around noon on July 28, at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters at Laila Peak, said Alpine Club of Pakistan, a National Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation.

Dahlmeier, 31, was climbing with her mountaineering partner, Marina Eva, when a sudden rockfall hit her, resulting in significant injuries, it said in a statement.

Its vice president Karrar Haidri said Dahlmeier was seriously injured.

Dahlmeier retired from the sport in 2019, aged 25, a year after becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics.

Her management did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters.

Germany's ZDF broadcaster said that a helicopter overflight on Tuesday had found no signs of life.

The country's northern mountainous regions have experienced heavy flooding and landslides, killing several local tourists during the current monsoon spell of rains.

Flooding and other rain-related accidents have killed 288 people in Pakistan since the monsoon season began in late June, says the country's National Disaster Management Authority.

(Reporting by Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar, Asif Shahzad in Islamabad and Rachel More in Berlin; editing by Kirsti Knolle and Ken Ferris)