Man killed from falling debris at Bells Beach as 30-metre-high cliff collapses
A man has died following the collapse of a cliff face in Bells Beach this afternoon.
It is believed a cliff face up to 30 metres in height gave way and collapsed about 2.15pm.
Investigators were told six people were sitting under the cliff face when three of the six were struck by falling debris.
A man aged in his 20s died while in the process of being airlifted to hospital.
A man and a woman, also aged in their 20s, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospital by road.
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Comments
Tragic news.. echoes of Gracetown 25 years ago too.
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2016/09/27/gracetown-re…
Sheeesh, I love taking my kids around rock ledges, all sandstone around here, easier to spot the weak points. I'm super conscious of the risk. Feeling sad.
Was surfing Winki at the time - 4 choppers circling and one landed at the Southside hang gliding ramp.
Thoughts with the victims ... was pretty eerie in the water not knowing what the commotion was.
Ahhh geez. That's terrible news.
That’s fucked. So unlucky
Damn, sad news. Just two days ago me and a friend scaled down a limestone cliff around home to freedive an area sheltered by granite reef. The track looked like it hadn't been used in a long long time, and there was fresh sign of rock falls each side. While we were diving I kept thinking about whether we'd survive a rockfall on the cliff if I was in the lagoon. Sobering reminder that it's a risk worth assessing.
It's a terrible accident made all the more terrible by the conundrum of how to manage it. The geology of the area makes it prone to landslips, particularly that stretch of cliff which has rock strata peeling away like an onion - tonnes of rock just waiting to go. Parks Victoria are the land manager and have been grappling with how to address the risk for years without actually closing beach access. There are lots of places around here which are an accident waiting to happen.
It wasn't at Bells, either - it was at Addiscott Beach/ Jarosite which is 1.5km from Bells.
All you can do is put more signs up. "Beware unstable cliff". Those cliffs fall down all the time. Think that's the fourth or fifth death we have had from cliff collapse in that area within 20 years. Every month I see rocks the size of my fist rolling down the cliff at Juc while getting changed on the beach. Be carefully people!!
Sad news. Heart goes out to the family and those affected. Wet spring, now first big hot spell after a month of dry, mud cracking, rocks might be looser, moving around a bit.
very sad , as there are signs everywhere saying don't sit under the cliffs because of falling rocks and landslides...hot days mean more chance of falling debris......on an even sadder note a young bloke jumped of the cliff there a couple of mths ago.....same spot!
Not sure how to make more people aware of the risks, we warned multiple groups at the other end of the beach (Southside) and suggested they move out from under the cliff which only half did and only 50 mins before this occurred. There's already signs and I felt like a tool telling these people to the point my wife asked me to just leave them, this validated that it was worth the effort.
Aghh bummer, good on you for trying your best to let them know though. Probably sheltering from the sun in the shadow of it?
Yeah the overhang always tempts with shade and also provides some protection from the strong northerlies.
people continue to ignore signs and they stand under fragile cliffs.
selfie photos continue to claim lives too.
can be amusing to see the headline news on the regular “man/woman falls to death taking selfie” it will never end...