Thursday August 15th 2013 20:26 (service until Friday 00:03) - TopicsExpress

Thursday August 15th 2013 20:26 (service until Friday 00:03) Fallen Cliff Climber During the normal monthly exercise, HM Coastguard Brixham diverted the Teignmouth lifeboat (The Two Annes) and its volunteer crew to a rock face near Long Quarry where a female rock climber had slipped and although partly saved by her safety line, came to rest on on a protruding rock ledge about 10-12 feet above the sea. Above this lower overhang was a larger rock sticking out which blocked any direct descent by HM Coastguard Cliff Rescue Team and also by any direct vertical descent from a helicopter winchman. On arrival and after some direction from the fallen climbers partner, the lifeboat managed to put ashore two crew who climbed up the rock face to assess the injured lady and make her comfortable. Rescue helicopter 106 from Portland arrived on scene, but they were unable to lower their winchman because of the cliff face and poor terrain. The winchman was lowered into the lifeboat a little distance out to sea - the winchman was taken ashore, and the lifeboat returned to her stand-by station below the rock ledge. By this time the local HM Coastguard Cliff Rescue Team had managed to descend the cliff to the casualty, and together with the helicopter winchman and lifeboat crew made the lady comfortable and then extracted her on a stretcher from the rocky ledge and transferred her to the lifeboat - and then to a waiting ambulance at Babbacombe.