Pregnant Santa Barbara teacher dies while hiking in Greece

A pregnant Santa Barbara woman plummeted to her death while hiking in Greece over the holidays.

Clara Thomann, 33, fell about 164 feet down a gorge on the Greek island of Crete on Dec. 23, according to a report by the Greek Reporter.

After her partner summoned help, first responders rescued her from the gorge and rushed her to a nearby medical facility, then to Chania General Hospital. She suffered multiple fractures to her skull and chest, and her unborn child died in the fall, according to the Greek Reporter and another local news service, Nea Kriti.

Thomann, a science teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, was pronounced dead on Dec. 29, the news outlets reported.

“The injuries Clara sustained are insurmountable and she was declared brain dead … we are all heartbroken,” her family wrote on a post on Caring Bridge.

Her organs, including her kidneys, liver and corneas, were donated, according to a statement issued by Chania General Hospital.

Thomann had been traveling during the holiday with her partner, Elliott Finn. The couple resided in Goleta. The principal of Dos Pueblos High School, Bill Woodard, expressed sorrow about the beloved teacher’s death.

“There are no words to describe the sadness we are all feeling,” Woodard told Noozhawk, a Santa Barbara-based news site. “Ms. Thomann was so kind and such a great teacher who loved her students and loved science. Our hearts break for her family and for all of us who are feeling this loss.”