German Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan. She was 31. On Monday, July 28, Dahlmeier was hit by falling rocks at an altitude of approximately 18,700 feet while on Laila Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram Mountains, per a translated Instagram post confirming her death, which was shared on her profile on Wednesday, July 30. The post stated that Dahlmeier's death "is presumed to have occurred immediately," based on what a rescue helicopter had seen, as well as the "description of the severity of her injuries" from her climbing partner, who managed to make it back to base camp. Recovering Dahlmeier's body was "too risky" due to the "current difficult conditions" on the mountain, including rockfall and sudden changes in weather, the post continued. "Her wish was to leave her body on the mountain in this case," the translated post stated, adding that Dahlmeier's family has requested that her "final wishes be respected." The family thanked the rescue team for doing "their very best to facilitate a rescue and reach the victim." A further Instagram tribute, which was shared alongside a photo of the athlete on a mountain, included, "Farewell to a wonderful person! Laura enriched the lives of many … She showed us that it’s worth standing up for your dreams and goals and always staying true to yourself." The tragic news came after a news release posted on the athlete's Instagram page on Tuesday, July 29 confirmed she'd been involved in "a serious mountaineering accident," adding that "no signs of life were detectable." The accident occurred around noon local time, the translated post stated, adding that due to the remoteness of the area, a rescue helicopter had been unable to reach Dahlmeier until Tuesday morning. The search for Dahlmeier continued on Wednesday morning; however, helicopters were unable to take off due to poor weather conditions, Bild reported, citing the German Press Agency (dpa). Bild reported that "four experienced climbers and two porters" had been "split into two teams trying to reach Dahlmeier on the mountain." The outlet noted that temperatures were expected to drop below zero degrees Celsius in the area where Dahlmeier was. German rock climber and mountaineer Thomas Huber, 58, was reportedly on site and participated in the rescue mission amid the ongoing search for Dahlmeier. Dahlmeier's climbing partner, Marina Eva, managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Faizullah Faraq, a spokesperson for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government, previously said rescuers were racing against the clock to reach Dahlmeier amid the bad weather conditions. Dahlmeier's achievements through the years include a double gold medal victory at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea. Her website states of her many accomplishments, "Laura Dahlmeier won seven gold, three silver - and five bronze medals at the Biathlon World Championships, 20 World Cup races and the overall World Cup in the 2016/17 season." "At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she crowned her career with two gold medals in the sprint and pursuit races, as well as the bronze medal in the individual competition," the site adds, confirming that she ended her professional biathlon career at age 25 in 2019. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. After her retirement, she worked as a ZDF expert at the Biathlon World Cup, as well as focusing on mountaineering, per Der Spiegel. PEOPLE has attempted to reach out to Dahlmeier's management.