Girl, 9, Dies As Rocks Fall On To Beach
A nine-year-old girl has died after rocks fell from a cliff at a beach in North Yorkshire.
Emergency services were called to Seaton Garth in Staithes at 16:18 BST to reports of a rock fall in which a child received serious head injuries.
The girl died at the scene, North Yorkshire Police said. Her family was being supported by specialist trained officers.
Staithes Coastguard said a section of the cliff had fallen.
Eyewitnesses said the girl had been on holiday with her family and the incident happened at a spot where there were warning signs about the cliff.
They described the cliff fall as “particularly serious”.
Part of the beach at the popular tourist resort has now been cordoned off.
Eyewitnesses described seeing a “number of emergency vehicles”, including fire engines, heading for the beach, which they said was very busy at the time.
North Yorkshire Police said: “Sadly, despite the efforts of the emergency services, the girl died at the scene from her injuries.”
A statement from the RNLI said crew members of Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station responded to the emergency, adding; “The RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew attended to a child who sadly died at the scene.
“The RNLI, and in particular the volunteers of Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station, would like to share their deepest condolences with the child’s family.”