Two people in two days fall from same cliff
Two people have fallen down a Rangitı¯kei cliff in two days.
On Saturday, a man fell 100 metres down a cliff near a popular campsite at Vinegar Hill, just a day after a man received serious injuries falling 70 metres off the same ridge.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said the second man fell in what was believed to be the same spot about 7.20am on Saturday. Firefighters were able to reach him, but he had to be winched out by a rescue helicopter. The man was in a serious condition, the spokesman said.
A police spokeswoman said both men fell after jumping fences outside the boundary of the official entrance road to the Kiwiburn arts festival. ‘‘Police are monitoring the event and have spoken with the organiser regarding the incidents. As a result, additional boundary tape has been put up and we understand that the event’s security staff will be implementing roving patrols in the vicinity of where the two incidents occurred to deter further incidents.’’
Whanganui resident Gail Cebic, a camper at Vinegar Hill, witnessed Saturday’s fall.
When she first saw the man fall off the cliff above the campground close to the festival, she thought it was a log and was concerned there was a slip on the rockface. But she became suspicious when nothing else fell. ‘‘It looked too small to be a person. A quarter of an hour later an ambulance came.’’
The fall on Friday happened about 2am.
A statement from Kiwiburn said neither incident occurred on the festival site, but Kiwiburn had installed warning signs and danger tape and moved the gate security team forward by 500m.
‘‘Kiwiburn is able to confirm the person injured earlier this week had a valid ticket for the event.’’
The festival opened on January 24 and runs until January 29.