An American tourist tragically plummeted nearly 1,000 feet to her death in the Italian Alps while trying to photograph the awe-inspiring scenery there after departing from an established mountain trail.
The Daily Mail reported Friday that Michaelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva, 36, was exploring the Dolomites with her family last Saturday when she "lost her footing near Forcella Pordoi, a dramatic mountain pass overlooking the resort town of Canazei."
Pordoi, scivola mentre si scatta una foto e precipita per 300 metri: Michelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva muore a 36 anni sotto gli occhi della sorellahttps://t.co/b6P1LxHnqJ
— informazione interno (@infoitinterno) October 18, 2026
Leiva, a Florida-based communications professional, apparently strayed from the marked route to seek a more panoramic viewpoint before plunging approximately 980 feet down an exposed section of mountainside, according to the Mail, citing a report by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The young woman's sister reported the incident, triggering an emergency response in the challenging alpine terrain. Help came in the form of mountain first responders and an air ambulance chopper, with rescuers being lowered onto the mountainside around 12:30 p.m. local time.
However, Leiva was pronounced dead at the scene, which was at the 9,000 foot mark.
The family was "making its way towards a cable car station for a journey to the summit of Sass Pordoi, famed for its sweeping views across the surrounding peaks, according to Italian outlet il Dolomiti," according to the Mail.
Leiva, who was born in Guatemala, graduated from Brigham Young University and was pursuing a career in communications and consulting.
She was most recently employed by a firm in Miami, Corriere della Sera reported, and had also been involved in several volunteer projects.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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