India, July 31 -- Germany's celebrated Olympic biathlon champion, Laura Dahlmeier, has died following a tragic mountaineering accident on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range. The 30-year-old Olympic gold medalist was struck by falling rocks on Monday while climbing the 6,096-metre-high peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, local authorities confirmed.

Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan government, said that rescuers had confirmed Dahlmeier's death and were working to retrieve her body. The body will be brought to the city of Skardu, Faraq said on Wednesday, adding that a rescue team remains stationed at the site.

Dahlmeier was scaling the peak with her climbing partner, Marina Eva, who survived the accident and managed to...