A 15-year-old girl died instantly on Tuesday afternoon in Busche, a hamlet of Cesiomaggiore in the Belluno province, after being struck and crushed by a large boulder dislodged from a bridge pylon she had climbed for a photo.
The teenager was visiting a small riverside beach on the Piave River with two friends. Reports indicate she and one companion climbed onto the pylon of an old bridge overlooking the river, which adjoins a rock face, to take a photograph. Suddenly, a boulder detached from the rock wall – possibly disturbed by her climbing attempt – and fell on her.
While a third friend escaped unharmed, the 15-year-old died at the scene. The girl climbing with her sustained multiple fractures but her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Emergency services, including an ambulance from Feltre’s Santa Maria del Prato Hospital, the Suem 118 emergency helicopter, and firefighters from Belluno and Feltre (initially alerted over concerns she might have fallen into the water), responded swiftly. A rescue boat was also deployed. Medical personnel could only confirm the teenager’s death. A coroner notified the on-duty magistrate for authorization to remove the body.
Carabinieri are investigating the precise sequence of events and have taken witness statements. All accounts describe the incident as a tragic accident.