Boy, 15, falls 60ft off cliff on geography school trip while having his photo taken by a pal
A SCHOOLBOY fell 60ft off a cliff on a geography field trip while having his photo taken by a pal.
The 15-year-old was enjoying some “downtime” during the school trip to Old Harry Rocks in Studland, Dorset, when he “disappeared” over the edge.
Coastguards said it was a “miracle” he wasn’t badly hurt in the tumble yesterday afternoon.
He landed on shingle and various rescue teams were scrambled to the scene.
But the lad sustained only a small cut to his head and some scratches on his back.
After a thorough evaluation, the student was released back to his group after being given some strong safety advice about his actions.
Ian Brown, station officer for Swanage Coastguard, said: “The students had been briefed on not going near the cliff edge.
“But it would appear the group were having some downtime and one lad wanted a photo taken by his friend near the cliff edge.
“He went towards it, and then his friends said they just saw him ‘disappear over the edge’.
“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a bit sore today, but everyone was absolutely amazed he didn’t have any major injuries.
“It’s that safety message we want to raise – please stay away from cliff edges.
“When we say don’t go near the cliff edge, we mean within five metres – don’t be tempted to even go near it.
“I want to share a final thank you to everyone that attended yesterday – from the local kayaking group to all the emergency services.
“I’ve been doing this for 34 years and we’ve had some miracles – this is certainly one of those.”
Lifeboat crews arrived to find the young male being attended to by a local kayak company who had been passing on the water and stopped to help.
A HM Coastguard spokesperson said: “The alarm was raised at about 1.45pm on 20 June.
“The boy was recovered safe and well from the beach by the RNLI‘s inshore lifeboat from Swanage and passed into the care of South West Ambulance Service.”