Two die when car topples over cliff

TWO ELDERLY women died and two others were injured seriously yesterday when a car plunged 60ft from a cliff and on to a beach at a beauty spot.

Crowds of holidaymakers watched in horror as the Ford Escort rolled over the cliffs at Kimmeridge Bay, in Dorset, landing on its roof on the rocks below. The car had been in the car park above the bay on the Isle of Purbeck just before the accident happened at 3.30pm.

Witnesses said the driver had been attempting to reverse the vehicle into a parking space before it fell off the cliff edge and landed on its roof. No-one on the beach was injured.

Shocked bystanders, including one child who was extremely traumatised by the accident, immediately called the emergency services. The two injured were cut free from the car and taken to Poole General Hospital by helicopters from the Portland Coastguard and Dorset Police. They were in a critical condition last night.

A spokeswoman for Dorset Police said: "Two people were killed after the car hit the rocks and another two were immediately airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. The beach was packed with holidaymakers, many of whom were children who witnessed the accident."

Inspector Dave Burgess, the officer in charge of the investigation, said: "This is a very tragic event. It was extremely unlucky that the car should travel between two of the posts, but the fencing is something we will be looking at with the Kimmeridge Bay authorities."

The automatic, R-registration car was registered locally.