DOLOMITES FALL KILLS MICHELLE ALEJANDRA RUBIO LEIVA

Michelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva died after falling about 1,000ft in the Dolomites in northern Italy on 17 October, according to mountain rescuers. The American visitor reportedly stepped off a marked path to take a photograph near Forcella Pordoi, above Canazei. She lost her footing while approaching a panoramic spot. Her family, including her sister, witnessed the fall. Witnesses alerted emergency services shortly before midday.

Rubio Leiva had travelled from Florida for a family holiday in the Trentino region. The group was reportedly near the upper cable car station and planned to visit a refuge on Sass Pordoi. Rubio Leiva fell from an exposed section at an altitude of about 9,000ft. Emergency services sent an air ambulance and search team, and a rescuer already nearby gave the helicopter crew her precise location. Medical personnel reached the mountainside at about 12.30pm, where a doctor pronounced her dead.

Rescuers flew her relatives to Canazei during the recovery operation. A helicopter took Rubio Leiva’s body from the mountain, and rescuers handed it to police and the fire service. Rubio Leiva worked in communications, marketing and business development and had professional links to Miami. She reportedly attended Brigham Young University between 2008 and 2012 and took part in volunteering projects. The Forcella Pordoi pass lies within the UNESCO-listed Dolomites.