Base jumper in hospital after parachute fails on Beachy Head cliff

Footage showed a small group of base jumpers leaping from the East Sussex coastline on Sunday

A base jumper has reportedly suffered two broken legs after their parachute failed to open following a 530ft jump off Beachy Head.

Emergency services scrambled to the cliffside following the incident at 9.15am on Sunday and the man, thought to be in his 40s, was airlifted to hospital.

Footage shared on social media showed a small group of base jumpers leaping from the East Sussex coastline yesterday.

The man, who has not yet been identified, is understood to have jumped but his parachute did not fully open.

He was later winched up to a search and rescue helicopter before being taken to Brighton Hospital, as reported by the Brighton Argus.

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Base jumping involves leaping from an inanimate object and then deploying a parachute to land safely back to the ground. Beachy Head has been a popular spot for the thrill-seeking hobby in recent years.

A Coastguard spokeswoman said: “A 999 call was received at 9.15am today reporting an injured person at Beachy Head.

“The Coastguard rescue teams from Eastbourne, Birling Gap and Newhaven, the RNLI lifeboat from Eastbourne, the search and rescue helicopter from Lydd and the South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene.

“The casualty was winched by the search and rescue helicopter and airlifted to Brighton Hospital where they were passed into the care of medical staff.”

Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in the UK and stands at 162 metres above sea level.

Additional reporting by PA