The body of a man in his 20s has been found after a van plunged over a 100ft cliff onto the beach below, sparking a major emergency response.
The white van ‘left the road and went over the cliffs on to the beach below’, Northumbria Police said.
The force were called to an area near the A183 Coast Road in South Shields, a road which runs along Marsden Beach and the surrounding cliffs, at 6am this morning after a report of a concern for someone’s welfare.
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: ‘At 6am today, we received a report of a concern for welfare of a person near the A183 Coast Road in South Shields.
‘It was reported that a vehicle had gone over the cliffs in the Marsden area.
‘Emergency services attended the scene and following a search involving multiple partner agencies, the body of a man in his 20s was sadly found.’
The man’s next of kin has been informed and the van is currently being recovered from the scene, they added.
Police do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the man’s death and they are preparing a report for the coroner.
The white van ‘left the road and went over the cliffs on to the beach below’, Northumbria Police said
Images show the van at the bottom of the cliff with the front end submerged in the sea water and the back end pointed up
An emergency response saw Tynemouth RNLI and HM Coastguard among the first to arrive before they were joined by Northumbria Police, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, and the North East Ambulance Service.
Emergency services are still in attendance and enquiries are ongoing.
Images show the van at the bottom of the cliff with the front end submerged in the sea water and the back end pointed up.
A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service earlier said: ‘We were called to the Marsden area at 6.10am following concerns for a person. We dispatched a clinical team leader and one ambulance crew.’
The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, HM Coastguard, and Tynemouth RNLI, confirmed they were also at the scene, with the RNLI adding: ‘We launched this morning to a multi-agency call.’
