Laura Dahlmeier, a two-time German biathlon Olympic gold medalist, has died after a climbing accident in Pakistan, her management team and local government officials confirmed.

Rescuers had hoped to find double Olympic gold medallist on 6,096m (20,000-foot) Laila Peak in the Karakoram Mountains.

Laura Dahlmeier, a trailblazer in biathlon and one of Germany's most decorated winter athletes, has died at 31 after a rockfall struck her during a climbing expedition on Laila Peak in northern Pakistan's Karakoram range. Her death has caused widespread shock and sorrow in the global sports and mountaineering communities.