Man falls 300ft to his death posing for cliff-top photograph

A man fell to his death after he posed for a photograph holding on to a cliff edge by a tuft of grass, coastguards said yesterday.

The 39-year-old Polish man tumbled 300ft down the sheer cliff face, landing in the bushes below at Seaton, Devon, on Sunday.

A coastguard helicopter and team were called to rescue him but paramedics declared him dead at the scene.

A rescue party arrived at the scene of the earlier accident near Folkestone, Kent, but the Russian tourist was pronounced dead after a 300ft fall



Maddy Davey, Portland coastguard watch manager, said: 'The 39-year-old Polish man was posing for a photograph whilst holding on to a tuft of grass at the top of the cliffs.

'The grass gave way and he was seen by some tourists on the scene to fall down the sheer face of the cliffs and land in bushes at the bottom.

'It was the middle of the day. All the tourists were there, people along the cliff path, who witnessed it.'

A police spokesman said the man, whose family in Poland has yet to be informed of his death, had been travelling with a group of Polish tourists.



Danger zone: The 300ft-high cliff in Folkestone, Kent

His death follows that of another man, thought to be Russian, who fell from a clifftop as he walked with friends at Capelle-Ferne near Folkestone, Kent, on the same day.

Dover Coastguard said the cliff where the Russian man fell was a sheer drop of around 300ft, in an area that is popular with walkers.

A Kent Police spokesman said the death was being treated as an accident and the coroner had been informed.

The coastguard issued a warning about the dangers of cliffs after the two deaths.

A spokesman said: 'Please do not stray away from cliff paths and do not go near the edges of cliffs.

'Often, despite appearances, they can be unstable and crumbly, as well as being slippery when wet.'