Italian tourist dies after 30-metre fall at Ravana Falls in Sri Lanka

Circumstances of the fatal fall at Ravana Falls

On Thursday, 24 September 2026, 27-year-old Italian traveller Valentina Stragliotto died following an accident at Ravana Falls in the central tourist district of Ella, Sri Lanka. Stragliotto had arrived in the country a few days prior alongside a female friend for a leisure trip across the region. During their visit to the upper section of the waterfall complex, she climbed onto an elevated boulder to take pictures with her camera. Recent heavy rainfall and bad weather had made the rock ledges slick, prompting the Ravana Park administration to enforce access bans near the cliff edges. Stragliotto lost her balance on the slippery rock face and fell more than 30 metres into the gorge below. Her travelling companion witnessed the incident from the viewing path and immediately raised the alarm to summon emergency assistance.

Emergency transport and hazardous site history

First responders delivered immediate emergency care at the gorge before placing Stragliotto in an ambulance bound for Demodara Hospital, located approximately 5 kilometres from the site. Medical staff at the facility confirmed that she died shortly after admission as a result of severe traumatic injuries sustained in the 30-metre drop. Sri Lankan police launched a formal inquiry to establish the precise sequence of events leading up to the fall and reconstruct the victim's movements prior to the accident. The fatality occurred 24 hours after a 26-year-old Dutch woman died in a fall at the exact same location on 23 September. Local authorities in Ella maintain strict closure protocols during adverse weather because the Ravana ravine is prone to rapid flash flooding and sudden surges of water. The site, also referred to locally as Ella Falls, has recorded multiple fatal accidents involving foreign travellers who navigated the steep rock formations.

Digital marketing and coaching career in Brighton

Stragliotto had relocated from Italy to the United Kingdom, establishing her residence in the coastal city of Brighton. In the British market, she worked as an independent consultant focusing on digital marketing, search engine optimisation, online advertising, and multichannel campaign design for various commercial clients. Alongside her marketing work, she established a personal coaching venture under the brand name Aligned and Free. Operating as a career and mindset coach, she designed advisory programs for professionals and young talents seeking employment transitions. Her coaching curriculum focused on practical topics including the management of perfectionism, personal confidence building, and strategies to overcome impostor syndrome. She also appeared regularly as an invited speaker and seminar leader at professional conferences and developmental workshops throughout the United Kingdom.

Sports background and group travel coordination

Before moving abroad, Stragliotto grew up in Bassano del Grappa, an Italian municipality located in the Vicenza province of the Veneto region. Throughout her youth and schooling in Bassano del Grappa, she practiced competitive rhythmic gymnastics for multiple years as an athlete with the Junior 2000 sports club. Outside her consulting engagements, she pursued international travel and maintained an active role within the travel industry. She served as an accredited tour coordinator for the group travel company WeRoad, organising and guiding groups of travellers across various global destinations. That passion for overseas exploration motivated her vacation in Sri Lanka with her friend, which ended with the fatal accident at Ravana Falls. Local investigators in Demodara and Ella continue to collect statements from witnesses to conclude the official inquiry into the incident.