Teenage girl seriously injured after falling over cliff in Nova Scotia

GLACE BAY, N.S. -- A teenage girl was recovering in a Halifax hospital Saturday after she fell over a 20-metre cliff in Glace Bay, N.S.

Cape Breton Regional Police said a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were walking in an area of West Street that overlooks the ocean around 9:30 p.m. Friday when the girl slipped and went over a cliff.

Staff Sgt. Reg Hutchings said fire crews rappelled down the cliff and used a carrying cage to hoist the injured girl back to the top.

"It's a quite a drop," said Hutchings, adding that the girl had landed on an ice surface.

The teen was at the bottom of the cliff for about an hour before being rescued, said Hutchings.

He said she was taken to a Cape Breton hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries and was later airlifted to a Halifax hospital.

Hutchings said it was dark and cold at the time of the accident, but weather conditions were clear.