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

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.

German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain peak in northern Pakistan following a climbing accident, and efforts are underway to retrieve her body, a local government spokesman said Wednesday.