AN 18-YEAR-OLD was recovering in hospital last night after plunging 40ft down a seaside cliff.
The teenager, who fell while trying to climb down the cliff at Frenchman's Bay, South Shields, South Tyneside, was rescued in a tricky operation by ten members of the South Shields volunteer life brigade, after 10pm on Tuesday.
Life brigade secretary Tom Fennelly said the teenager was with two friends when he climbed over the barrier, and said he was going to try to climb down.
He said: "When he disappeared, one friend ran round the headland to reach him, while the other alerted rescue services.
"The teenager landed on rocks between the cliff and the sea and the only way to get him out was to winch him up," said Mr Fennelly.
The teenager was placed on a stretcher and winched by rope to the top, where he was taken to an ambulance and stabilised, before being taken to South Tyneside District Hospital. He suffered head and chest injuries and underwent surgery for internal injuries.
Mr Fennelly said: "He was extremely lucky to survive the fall.
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