Rescue operation launched after man drops down 20ft cliff face as three arrested

15 December 2023 , 20:35

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Rescue operation launched after man drops down 20ft cliff face as three arrested

A man fell down 20 feet off a cliff face sparking a major rescue operation as cops say they have arrested three men in relation to an alleged altercation.

Emergency services, including the police, coastguard and ambulance, scrambled to the scene where the man fell with the three others being arrested on suspicion of affray. Police are investigating the incident at the Whitburn cliffs in Tyneside, but do not as yet understand what happened. The man's injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.

The victim was airlifted to hospital after a huge rescue effort saw him brought to safety. According to police, the individual was involved in an "altercation" before the fall onto the beach below, and the three men who were arrested are still in custody.

The man was airlifted off the beach and taken to hospital (Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Just after 8.30am this morning police received a report of a disturbance on Whitburn Cliffs at Whitburn Beach in South Tyneside. It was reported that four males had been involved in an altercation when one of the men has fallen approximately 20ft onto the beach below."

HM Coastguard and the Great North Air Ambulance Service were both involved in the rescue effort, which saw the coastguard's helicopter lift the victim from the base of the cliffs, before he was transferred to the air ambulance team and rushed to hospital.

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GNAAS has confirmed the patient was taken to hospital in just six minutes by helicopter and a spokesperson said: "Our critical care team was activated at 8.58am to reports of a fall in Whitburn. We had a doctor and paramedic on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 9.11am. Our team assessed and treated a patient before airlifting them to hospital in six minutes."

A NEAS spokesperson said: "We received a call at 8.37am this morning (Friday 15 December) to reports of an incident at the cliffs in Whitburn. We dispatched four crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), an ambulance crew, a clinical team leader, and requested support from our colleagues at the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), the police, and the fire service. One patient was taken to hospital by air for further treatment."

Cops have appealed for any witnesses and said that anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Northumbria Police via 101 or the 'report' pages of the force's website, quoting log NP-20231215-0194.

Paul Donald