Image caption The man was impaled on railings in Botanic Avenue

A man is in a critical condition in hospital after being impaled on a railing in south Belfast.

He tripped and fell headfirst, and the railing impaled him through his chin at about 17:30 GMT on Wednesday.

The incident happened outside a pharmacy on Botanic Avenue.

Firefighters managed to free him from the fence, and he was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital. He is in a critical but stable condition.