Girl, 9, suffers serious head injury after falling off cliff at popular beach in Cornwall

A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl suffered a severe head injury after plunging from a cliff onto a packed beach in front of holidaymakers today.

The schoolgirl was airlifted to hospital after the heart-stopping fall at Gwithian, one of the most popular beaches in Cornwall, at around midday.

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The beach, one of the longest in Britain, was packed with families on their summer holidays at the time of the suspected accident.

Cliffs line the beach, near the town of Hayle, and children like to jump off a rocky outcrop into 'Sheep's Pool' - but it is unclear in which area the girl fell.

'FELL ONTO LARGE ROCKS'

Paramedics, life-boatmen and the coastguard rushed to help the child and her distressed family.

The youngster is now being treated at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, around 18 miles away.

A spokesman for for HM Coastguard told : "A girl had fallen onto rocks and suffered a head injury. We sent a coastguard rescue team to assist the lifeguards."

Medics say the girl fell onto large rocks.

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South Western Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 12.01pm about an incident involving someone having fallen from rocks at Gwithian Beach, Hayle.

"Our crews treated a female patient at the scene and transported her by air ambulance to hospital for further care. She had a suspected head injury."

SERIOUS HEAD INJURY

A spokesman for the RNLI said the lifeguards were alerted to the accident by the girl's brother and administered first aid until ambulance paramedics arrived.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they were not involved in the response to the accident, reported Cornwall Live.

The coast of Gwithian offers long sandy beaches to tourists and locals.

There are a number of campsites in and near Gwithian, just northeast of Hayle.

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Last month, a man was killed by rocks falling onto him from a cliff above a Cornish beach.

It is thought the victim, whose age is unknown, was crushed by a rockfall at Sandymouth Beach in Bude.

The air ambulance was scrambled as the horror unfolded in front of holidaymakers enjoying the sunshine.

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