A major rescue operation was launched yesterday after a rock climber plunged 30ft from a north-east cliff.
The man, believed to be in his 20s, suffered “serious” back injuries after he slipped and fell from the steep rock face at Cove Bay Harbour.
He had been spotted just north of the historic fishing village that morning scaling the coastal cliff with climbing gear.
By 11am, emergency services had been called to the scene by concerned locals, where paramedics found him at the foot of the embankment.
The Scottish Ambulance Service called Aberdeen Coastguard for assistance because of the inaccessible spot he had landed.
Coastguard rescue helicopter 951 was sent from Inverness to winch him from the coastline, where teams battled heavy rain and strong winds to lift him to safety.
The man was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where police confirmed he is in a “serious” condition.
Coastguard rescue teams from Stonehaven and Montrose and numerous police officers were also sent to the scene to help.
Last night, residents living nearby praised the emergency services for battling horrendous conditions to rescue him.
Local resident Fiona MacKenzie said the first she knew about the incident was when she heard the helicopter flying over her home.
She said the waves were lashing up at the end of the pier.
“The helicopter hovered over the front of the houses here and then went right to the harbour – it seemed to hover at the end of the pier,” she said.
“There were about ten vehicles down there; two police cars if not three, two ambulances and the coastguard.”
Ms MacKenzie said the emergency services were at the scene for about an hour before she saw the helicopter fly towards the cliff where they dropped down a winch.
“I was surprised there were two ambulances. I thought maybe it’s more than one person who had fallen,” she said.
“The helicopter was a coastguard helicopter which is unusual. Usually we get ones coming out from Lossiemouth.”
Martin Sullivan was working at his laptop when he noticed blue lights travelling down the road to the harbour.
He knows something was seriously wrong when he counted the number of vehicles heading towards the scene.
“Given the direction they were looking, he has obviously come down the slope – it’s quite steep,” he said.
A spokesman for Aberdeen Coastguard confirmed the climber had fallen around 20-30ft down the “steep” embankment.
“When the paramedics and coastguard arrived on scene, they assessed the man as having back injuries. The most suitable way of transporting him to hospital was by helicopter,” he said.
“We got the information through the ambulance. It was a male in his 20s, just to the north of the harbour.
“The casualty was taken to ARI by rescue helicopter. He was onshore when we found him.”
A police spokesman said the man’s injuries although serious, are not thought to be life-threatening.
“At 10.55am we got the original call. We were made aware by the ambulance and coastguard about a man who had fallen into the harbour,” he said.
“He was taken to ARI with serious injuries. There was nothing to indicate it was anything life-threatening but his injuries were on the serious end of the scale.”