Rescuers in Pakistan abandoned plans to retrieve the body of twice Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier of Germany to respect her last wish and avoid risking more lives, fellow climber Thomas Huber told dpa on Thursday.

German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks while scaling Laila Peak in Pakistan on Wednesday.

German Olympic gold medalist and world champion biathlete Laura Dahlmeier has died following a tragic climbing accident in the Karakoram mountain range of northern Pakistan, her management team and local officials confirmed. Dahlmeier, 31, was ascending Laila Peak on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks.