Woman killed by landslide on Dorset beach

A woman was crushed to death by a landslide on a Dorset beach yesterday. The  22-year-old was buried under 10metres of fallen rocks, which it took rescue workers more than nine hours to clear.

The woman was trapped when part of the coastal cliff collapsed near the Freshwater Beach Holiday Park in Burton Bradstock, forcing more than a hundred holidaymakers to flee from Hive Beach at Bridport on the Jurassic Coast.

The incident happened close to where a couple were buried alive in their car following a landslide of mud two weeks ago.

In a joint statement, Dorset Police and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said: "At just after 12.30pm, Dorset Police were called to a report from the coastguard of a landslide 400m from the Freshwater Beach Holiday Park. The coastguard had been advised that a person was trapped under the rocks."



It said officers, with assistance from a police helicopter, worked alongside Dorset Fire and Rescue Service to search the area. The Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) from Devon and Somerset were also deployed to the incident.



 


By Linsey McNeill

 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

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