This beautiful student has died after slipping at a waterfall while on a hiking trail in Brazil.

Leticia Silva Budal, 19, fell from a height of around 50 metres (164 feet) at a waterfall in the district of Pirabeiraba in the city of Joinville in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina on Saturday, 15th January.

Firefighters, police officers and members of the Mountain Rescue Group (GRM) took part in the search operation, as seen here in this video footage, eventually finding the teen’s body after around 10 hours with the help of a helicopter.

GRM spokesperson Robertson Lach said Leticia and her family had booked the tour at a recreational camp on the Estrada Rio da Prata route in Joinville before setting off on the hike.

Lach added that the young woman apparently slipped while approaching the edge of the waterfall, saying: “On this trail, you cannot see the waterfall from above and, probably, she tried to get closer and, as there are many smooth stones, she may have slipped and fallen from a height of 50 metres.”

The victim was accompanied by family members when she fell into the water and disappeared from view.

Leticia was in her second year at the Santa Catarina State University studying Production Systems Engineering before her untimely passing.

The university paid tribute to the student in a social media statement yesterday (Monday, 17th January).

The victim was buried at the Jardim das Flores Cemetery in Joinville at 4pm on the same day.