Plans To Retrieve Dahlmeier's Body From Pakistan Peak Abandoned
ISLAMABAD, July 31 (Bernama-dpa) -- 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.
Dahlmeier, 31, was swept away in a rockfall close to the summit of the 6,069 metres Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range on Monday, her management and local officials said.
She was declared dead on Wednesday evening after air and ground operations to rescue her from the Laila Peak in the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region was not successful.
Pakistani officials said on Wednesday that rescue teams led by international climbers and local high-altitude porters would launch a new operation to retrieve her body.
"When we saw Laura’s body it was clear that she (had) left us. As experienced mountain climbers we decided to not go and retrieve her body,” Huber, who's in the GB region, told dpa over the phone.
“They body was in a very difficult terrain which would have meant a great risk for the rescue team,” said Huber, also a German who was part of the team that went up to rescue Dahlmeier.
“We decided to respect Laura's last wish. She didn’t want anyone to risk his or her life to retrieve her.”
Pakistan’s northern region is home to several stunning peaks including some towering more than 8,000 metres high. The region attracts hundreds of mountaineers from all over the world including from Europe every year.
Accidents, sometimes deadly, are common during these expeditions especially on K2 and Nanga Parbat, both 8,000 meters peaks.
--BERNAMA-dpa
