Hiker sees wife plunge to her death
A British woman fell to her death in front of her husband while on a hiking holiday in Italy, her travel firm has said.
Patricia Fletcher, 64, from Nantwich, Cheshire, died on Sunday when she fell about 656ft after slipping on snow in the Dolomite mountains.
She was part of a group of six walkers, including her husband George, tackling a popular walking route known as the Ferrata delle Trincee, or "way of the trenches".
The couple were on the final day of a 10-day break with Dolomite specialists Collett's Mountain Holidays, based near Royston in Hertfordshire.
Tom Collett, the firm's managing director, said: "It is a very tragic event and everybody here is devastated."
After Mrs Fletcher's fall, her husband and another member of the group scrambled down the mountain to reach her, Mr Collett said.
But there was nothing they could do for her. Her body had to be recovered by helicopter.
Mr and Mrs Fletcher's daughter travelled from Switzerland to Italy to be with her father.
The Fletchers were said to be fit and capable walkers who were keen on tackling high alpine trails during their holiday. The tragedy happened near the town of Arraba in the municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana in Belluno province in northern Italy.
