American tourist dies falling from Italian mountain while taking photo

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 06:20 · Archive

An American tourist fell from an exposed mountainside in the Italian Dolomites while trying to photograph the scenery.

An American tourist fell from an exposed mountainside in the Italian Dolomites on Saturday after stepping off a marked trail. Michaelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva, 36, a Florida-based communications professional, was exploring the mountains with her family when she reportedly lost her footing near Forcella Pordoi, a mountain pass overlooking the resort town of Canazei. She had left the marked route to reach a panoramic viewpoint.

The family had been trekking at an altitude of around 9,000 feet and was making its way towards a cable car station for a journey to Sass Pordoi. The Daily Mail reports she fell approximately 980 feet down an exposed section of mountainside. The Mirror reports that the Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue Service said she fell about 300 metres.

Her sister raised the alarm shortly before midday on Saturday. Emergency services dispatched a team and air ambulance after receiving the call. A nearby mountain rescer reached the scene first and supplied the helicopter crew with precise coordinates. Medical personnel were lowered onto the mountainside at around 12.30pm, but Leiva was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was recovered by helicopter, and the operation ended at around 2.30pm.

How it is being reported

• Woman, 36, falls 1,000 feet to her death in Italy after stepping off path to take photoMichelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva reportedly lost her footing and fell from an exposed section of the mountain at an altitude of about 2,750 metres - the incident occurred in front of her familyThe Mirror · 23 Oct, 05:59
• Florida woman, 36, falls 1,000 feet to her death in Italy after stepping off path to take photo of the majestic Dolomites mountain rangeMichaelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva, 36, was exploring the breathtaking Dolomites with her family when she fell from an exposed mountainside in northern Italy.Daily Mail · 23 Oct, 03:53

In this story: Michaelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva · Florida · Dolomites · Forcella Pordoi · Canazei · Sass Pordoi

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem