World News

American teen falls over 300 feet to her death while hiking with friend’s family: officials

A 16-year-old American girl plummeted over 300 feet to her death while hiking with her friend’s family in Switzerland on Sunday morning.

The teen – who has not been named publicly — was walking on the Gorges Mystérieuses trail in the Valais district with her best friend and the friend’s family when she stumbled about 328 feet down an embankment, the local police said.

First responders, including two helicopter crews, found the girl’s body in the bed of the Le Trient river, the officials said.

A valley in the Valais.
The girl was found dead near the bed of the Le Trient river. Shutterstock / Traveller70

The father of the family had tried to get to the girl himself but was stuck on a rock, they added.

He was unharmed but had to be evacuated by the rescue crew.

The local prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into what caused the girl to fall, the police statement said.

The US Embassy in Bern is “providing all appropriate consular assistance” in the wake of the incident, a spokesperson told The Post.

“We mourn with the family who lost a loved one on June 9, 2024, in Valais, Switzerland,” the statement added. “Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”