Julia Ituma, an 18-year-old Italian volleyball star, has died after allegedly falling out of her sixth-floor room at the Vally Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.
According to the UK Daily Mail, the incident happened on Thursday morning, hours after Ituma’s team got knocked out of a European Champions League volleyball semi-final clash.
She was said to have been sharing the room with a fellow teammate before her death.
The Italian consulate in Turkey said it was working closely with Turkish officials in determining the actual cause of death and providing support to Ituma’s family.
Her body has since been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of the tragic death.
Described as a rising star and the next big thing in Italian volleyball, the player had scored two points during the semi-final tie, although her team would eventually lose.
Born in 2005 in Milan to Nigerian parents, Ituma started playing volleyball at the age of 11.
Last year, she won a gold medal at the European Championship and the European Youth Olympic Festival with the Italian U-19 national team.