Three teenagers fighting for their lives after 30ft cliff fall near Cornwall festival

Trio airlifted to hospital after dramatic rescue

The Masked Ball festival site at Beacon Crag near Porthleven (Google)

Three teenagers have been left fighting for their lives after falling 30 ft down a cliff face close to the site of the Masked Ball festival in Cornwall.

The trio were air-lifted to hospital following their rescue a little after midnight on Sunday.

They were only found after one of the youngsters managed to call emergency services from his mobile, a spokesperson for HM Coastguard said.

The three-day Masked Ball festival takes place on a dramatic clifftop location called Beacon Crag close to the town of Porthleven and is described as an “immersive multi-level party kingdom".

But organisers said earlier this year that its future may be in doubt because of a constant stream of people trying to get in for free.

Devon and Cornwall Police now say they are investigating how the three men – one 18-year-old and two aged 19 – came to fall on Sunday.

A spokesperson said: "We do not yet know whether the three people were intending to go to the festival or if they were at the Masked Ball at the time of the incident. All three are in Derriford Hospital at the moment with serious injuries.”

A spokesperson for Falmouth Coastguard said it “received a call at around midnight on 5 May from a male saying that he and two other men had fallen approximately 30 ft down the cliff at Porthleven and they were requesting our assistance”.

He added: “The Porthleven, Penzance and Mullion coastguard rescue teams, the Lizard Lifeboat, HM Coastguard operations area commander and HM Coastgaurd search and rescue helicopter from Newquay were sent to the scene, along with the ambulance service and Devon and Cornwall Police. Three men were recovered via helicopter and taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth."

Martin Leslie, coastal operations area commander, said: "This was a demonstration of exceptional joint emergency service working in an extremely difficult environment.

"The helicopter crew showed outstanding skills transferring the teams to the scene. Special praise must also be given to the critical care paramedics excellent pre-hospital care to the casualties.”

The Independent has contacted Masked Ball for comment.