Australian woman dies in Norway cliff fall

The woman, identified as 24-year-old Kristi Kafcaloudis of Australia, was posing for a photo with a group of fellow students atop Trolltunga – a slab of rock hanging roughly 700 meters off the side of a mountain – when she slipped and fell several hundred meters. When it was her turn, she stepped over some rocks at the rock face.

Speaking to thelocal.no, Terje Kvalvik, from Hardanger police, said Kafcaloudis had stepped too far to the right when it was her turn to be photographed.

“Kristi was just 24 years old, studying at the University of Bergen on an global exchange from Monash University and enjoying weekend hiking adventures with her hostel group”.

It is understood she lost her balance as she was preparing to pose for a photograph with classmates from Norway’s University of Bergen.

Trolltunga is described as “one of the most spectacular scenic cliffs in Norway” by the country’s official tourism information site.

Speaking to ABC News, Ms Kafcaloudis’ mother, Milli Kafcaloudis, said the family were “mortified”, adding: “We are only consoled by the fact that Kristi was doing what she loved with her friends and living a life full of adventure and dreams”.

‘It doesn’t really feel real to me, ‘ he said of her death.

The university’s Rector, Dag Rune Olsen, told NKR that Ms Kafcaloudis’s death was “tragic”. “My thoughts are with the family, the parents and close relatives of the student”, he told Norway’s state broadcaster NRK.

‘Many of our students come here because they like being in nature, and they travel in Norway.

“We also thank our extended network of family, friends and community for their unfailing support at this incredibly hard time”.

Trolltunga mountain range at Norway.