A horrified group of hikers discovered their friend was missing after hearing her screams as she fell 1,000 feet down a mountain.
Mariacristina Masocco, 26, from the town of Feltre, Italy, died when she plummeted off the edge of a cliff while climbing the Punta del Comedon in the Dolomite mountains on Sunday.
She had walked ahead of the group on their descent down the 7,600ft peak after they reached the summit at around 4pm, with the three others remaining together at a spot behind her.
But soon afterwards they were suddenly alerted by the sounds of her screaming and rocks sliding, Italian newspaper Il Gazzettino reported this week.
Hiking over quickly to the source of the sound, the friends began calling out after being unable to locate Mariacristina - only to hear silence.
Soon afterwards they called for an emergency rescue, and a helicopter promptly discovered her body laying on a ledge below a cliff.
Difficult weather conditions meant the rescuers could not reach Mariacristina's body until the next day, when they took three of her friends down to the location.
Her death has shocked her local community back in Feltre, where she leaves behind her mother Angela and sister Francesca.
Paying tribute to the young woman, town mayor Viviana Fusaro said: "The news of the tragic death of the young Mariacristina Masocco, which took place in the afternoon in the mountains, strikes us in a truly profound way.
"In these hours, no words can soothe the intimate suffering of the mother, younger sister and friends."
"I want to express to them the sincere closeness of the entire community, who joins in an embrace to their great pain."
Mariacristina, the daughter of a now-deceased local councillor in her hometown, was said to be an experienced hiker who had aspirations of working as a lawyer.
