US tourist in Italy falls 1,000 feet to death on mountain hike

Federico Meneghetti/REDA/Universal Images Group/Getty Images/File

A Florida woman died after plunging more than 300 meters (around 1,000 feet) while hiking in the Italian Dolomite mountains , according to police in the northern city of Trentino .

Her death on Saturday was announced late this week after her next of kin were notified, police say.

Michelle Alejandra Rubio-Leiva, who was 36 and from Miami, was on vacation with family members on the Forcella Pordoi trail, a high-altitude site in the Sella group of the Dolomites, when she fell, police told CNN.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its sweeping views and zig-zag canyon, is only accessible by cable car and reaches 2,848 meters (9,344 feet) at its highest.

Rubio-Leiva’s sister, who was with her at the time, alerted emergency services, which dispatched a team of specialists from the Trentino Alpine and Cave Rescue Services and a rescue helicopter to descend to the spot from where her body was eventually recovered.

The two women had left the trail to reach a steep exposed spot on an upper cliff to take a picture when Rubio-Leiva slipped and fell into the canyon below, according to emergency workers who described the accident to local media. Rubio-Leiva’s family members were airlifted to Canazei while her body was retrieved, the local carabinieri told CNN. The recovery operation lasted several hours.

The hiking area is extremely dangerous and known for steep inclines, loose gravel and falling rocks, according to the Italian Alpine Rescue unit, which told CNN that more than 80 people died in the Dolomites in 2026 so far.

Federico Meneghetti/REDA/Universal Images Group/Getty Images/文件

据意大利北部城市特伦蒂诺警方称，一名佛罗里达州女子在意大利多洛米蒂山脉徒步旅行时，从 300 多米（约 1000 英尺）高处坠落身亡。

警方称，她的死讯于本周晚些时候公布，此前她的近亲已被通知。

据 CNN 报道，警方称，36 岁的迈阿密居民米歇尔·亚历杭德拉·鲁比奥-莱瓦 (Michelle Alejandra Rubio-Leiva) 当时正与家人在多洛米蒂山脉塞拉群峰的高海拔地区福尔切拉波尔多伊步道 (Forcella Pordoi trail) 度假，不幸坠落身亡。

这座联合国教科文组织世界遗产以其壮丽的景色和之字形峡谷而闻名，只能乘坐缆车到达，最高点达 2,848 米（9,344 英尺）。

当时和鲁比奥-莱瓦在一起的妹妹通知了紧急救援部门，救援部门派出了特伦蒂诺高山和洞穴救援队的专家团队和一架救援直升机前往事发地点，最终在那里找到了她的遗体。

据救援人员向当地媒体描述事故经过时称，两名女子离开步道，前往上方悬崖一处陡峭的裸露地点拍照，结果鲁比奥-莱瓦不慎滑倒，坠入下方峡谷。当地宪兵告诉CNN，鲁比奥-莱瓦的家人已被空运至卡纳泽伊，她的遗体则被打捞上来。打捞行动持续了数小时。

据意大利高山救援队称，该徒步区域极其危险，以陡峭的坡度、松散的碎石和落石而闻名。该救援队告诉 CNN，截至 2026 年，多洛米蒂山脉已有 80 多人丧生。