Beach landslide victim’s body found

The 22-year-old was found under piles of rubble at the popular holiday spot in Burton Bradstock, Dorset, following a nine-hour search operation.

She has not been formally identified, but reports claim she was Charlotte Blackman, from Derbyshire.

Emergency workers were called to the scene at 12.30pm yesterday after part of a 160ft-high cliff collapsed and sent a mountain of rocks plummeting onto the sand below.

Witnesses said a young woman was walking along the beach with her boyfriend and his father when they were caught up in the landslip.

The two men were pulled from the rocks by bystanders, but they were unable locate the woman who was walking directly under the rock fall, according to reports.

Search crews used dogs and specialist listening devices to try to find the missing woman amid fears of further rock falls at the site, which is known locally as Hive Beach.

But hopes of her surviving the incident gradually diminished before a body, believed to belong to her, was discovered last night under the 60ft-high pile of rocks.

Body found

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “At approximately 9.40pm on Tuesday July 24, search crews located a body on Burton Bradstock beach.

“The body is believed to be that of a 22-year-old woman reported missing earlier in the day following a landslide at the location.

“Next of kin are aware and family liaison officers are supporting the family. The coroner has been informed.”

The spokeswoman added: “It is believed the incident was a tragic accident and our thoughts are with the family of the victim at this very difficult time.”

The force said as there were no further reports of missing people at the location the search operation had been stood down.

Police, the fire service, ambulance service and the coastguard were all called to deal with yesterday’s landslide, which hit just 400 yards from the Freshwater Beach Holiday Park as scores of revellers enjoyed the hottest day of the year.

Emergency services believe the heavy rain over the last few weeks combined with the recent heatwave caused the tragedy.

‘Thunder-like sound’

Witness Len Muggeridge said he was fishing off Burton Rocks when he heard “a large thunder-like sound”.

“We looked up and half of the cliff towards Freshwater had fallen down,” he told Sky News.

“Within 20 minutes there were people tramping over the top of it and then a second fall occurred.

“I would say somewhere in the region of about 30 or 40 tonnes of rock fell in the first fall and somewhere in the region of about 100 tonnes or more in the second fall.”

Mr Muggeridge said there had been two or three big falls over the last 15 years and regular smaller falls.

“All the locals will tell other people to be careful of the cliffs because there is a chance, even when you are fishing there, a lump of cliff could actually come down,” he added.

400 tonnes of rock

Mick Stead, of Dorset Fire and Rescue, estimated 400 tonnes of rock had fallen in the “significant collapse” covering an area of 20m.

He said the recent weather was the likely trigger for the landslide at the beach, which forms part of the historic Jurassic Coast, from Swanage in Dorset to Exmouth in Devon, sections of which have been crumbling into the sea for years.

The council, posting on its website on June 20, said it had found large overhanging rocks at the top of the cliff at the western end of West Bay Esplanade, which appeared “ready to fall”.

A National Trust spokesman said: “Coastlines are dynamic and changing environments and it is impossible to predict when these kinds of events might occur.
“National Trust land at Burton Bradstock will remain closed whilst we assist the emergency services in whatever way we can.”

The tragedy comes two weeks after Somerset couple Rosemary Snell, 67, and Michael Rolfe, 72, were killed in a landslide at the Beaminster Tunnel just nine miles away.