Harriet was on family holiday when rocks fell from cliff at Seaton Garth in Yorkshire

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A nine-year-old girl who died when rocks fell from a cliff in a seaside village has been named by police.

Harriet Forster, from Oxford, was visiting Staithes with her family when the accident happened on Wednesday afternoon, North Yorkshire police said.

Her family said: “We cannot comprehend the enormity of this tragedy. Harriet was the light of our lives. We ask that you give us time as a family to support each other through our indescribable pain. Thank you.”

Police were called to reports of the incident at Seaton Garth in Staithes shortly before 5pm, but were unable to save Harriet, who died at the scene. Officers said they were compiling a report about the circumstances of her death on behalf of the coroner.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution confirmed volunteer crew members from Staithes and Runswick lifeboat station had responded to a rockfall at Seaton Garth that afternoon.

“The RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew attended to a child who sadly died at the scene,” it said.

“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.”



The British Geological Survey has warned about the dangers of getting close to cliffs because the coastline is prone to occasional rockfalls. These usually occur after sustained heavy rainfall and can be unpredictable.