Rescuers photograph boy, 4, reunited with parents after miraculous survival from 70ft fall

Youngster received just scratches and bruises in terrifying incident

(Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team)

A four-year-old boy survived a terrifying 70ft fall from a cliff while hiking with his parents in Kentucky in an incident rescuers have described as “nothing short of a miracle”.

The youngster slipped and tumbled from the cliff near Princess Arch at the Red River Gorge as his horrified parents watched on, according to officials.

Rescuers say the boy, who has not been named, was amazingly left with just scrapes and bruises after hitting a series of ledges on his way to the bottom of the cliff.

Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team posted pictures on social media of the youngster being reunited with his relieved mother and father.

“Incredibly, while the child was certainly scraped up and bruised, he appeared to be otherwise okay. He was very talkative, and very interested in super heroes,” the Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team said on its Facebook page.

(Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team)

“The only super hero present was him.”

Officials say that they boy’s father had scrambled down the cliff to reach his son and rescuers met up with him as he carried the boy out to Highway 715, after crossing the Red River.

The boy was examined at the scene by first responders, given a clean bill of health and reunited with his family.

(Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team)

In pictures released by the rescue service, the youngster is seen being given a big hug by his family.

“Obviously going through your head, kind of goes the worst case scenario in that. Being on a number of missions in that area and generally speaking, they can be pretty rough,” said Drew Stevens, Public Information Officer for Wolfe County Search and Rescue.

“Cliffs in that area are not very short. Typically, you’re looking at like between 60 to 70 foot cliff kind of on that ridge.”

The sandstone arches and towering cliffs of the Red River Gorge, southeast of Lexington, Kentucky, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

In May, a University of Kentucky student out on a hike was found dead at the bottom of a 150-ft cliff in the same area.