Horrified holidaymakers watched on as the car went off a road and over a cliff at Alum Bay in the Isle of Wight, plunging 300ft into the water below, killing two people in the vehicle
Two people have been killed in a horror crash after their car went over a cliff at a UK beauty spot, plunging 300ft down into the water.
Police have confirmed that there were two victims after the vehicle left the road and plunged 300 feet into the water at Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight on Friday evening in front of holidaymakers. So far the identities of the two people who died has not been revealed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary who have only said that a car left Alum Bay New Road and landed in the sea below and it is not known why this may have happened.
An investigation is now underway, and officers were seen at an address in Cowes. The site of the horror incident is close to the Isle of Wight Needles – a famed landmark in the area of three stacks of chalk jutting out of the water. There is also a theme park nearby. The attraction brings in thousands of visitors each year.
The crash sparked a huge emergency response, with coastguard ships, police, firefighters and paramedics all racing to the scene. It was reported that a man was seen by horrified onlookers being dragged from the water.
The incident came at a busy time as people gathered in the Isle of Wight for The Round the Island Race – a one-day yacht race around the island. The race still went ahead, despite the route passing through Alum Bay. But The Needles Landmark Attraction was closed by police and access to the beach, an observation tower and the Needles Old Battery fort were also restricted.
The wreckage of the vehicle – which had its roof and bonnet crumpled – could be seen partially submerged in the coastal waters in dramatic images of the aftermath. After arriving at the scene, a winchman was lowered from a coastguard helicopter to the bottom of the cliff.
Members of the lifeboat crew then hauled the body of a male back to the shore, where responders performed CPR, according to Island Echo. An air ambulance joined up with two ambulances and a critical care paramedic when it landed at Yarmouth.
In a statement released on Friday evening, the police said: “We’re currently at the scene of a serious incident in Totland. We were called at 7.21pm this evening after a car, which was being driven along Alum Bay New Road, left the road, came off the cliff top and came to rest in the water below.” The Mirror has contacted police for more information.