They turned back short of the summit because of safety concerns, but their timing was unlucky. Dahlmeier was rappelling when a big rock fatally struck her.

A government spokesman in Pakistan says that German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain in northern Pakistan.

Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medallist, was ascending Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range when she was struck by falling rocks while climbing with a partner who survived.View on euronews