Dog walker in his 50s is killed when a cliff collapses, trapping him and his pet under rubble

Benacre beach, Suffolk. Photo / 123rf

A dog walker has died after part of a cliff collapsed on a beach in Suffolk.

The man, believed to be in his late 50s, was killed after he and his dog became trapped under rubble on Thorpeness Beach at 1.25pm today.

A rescue operation involving police, fire, ambulance services and the coastguard commenced in order to locate and free the man after several 999 calls were made, but sadly he died at the scene.

Suffolk Police said his death was being treated as non-suspicious.

Bev Allen, maritime operations controller for the UK Coastguard, said: "This was a large-scale search and rescue effort in which multiple agencies worked together to free the trapped person.

"We ask people to please stay away from this particular area while the emergency services are at work.

"We would remind people to be mindful when out walking on the coast. Standing on cliff edges and at the base of a cliff are dangerous places to be as it is impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be."

A Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: 'We received a call at around 1pm to say a man was trapped at the cliffs.

"A man and his dog were partially trapped by a section of the cliff face.

"Five fire engines went to the scene, who along with coastguard, RNLI, members of the public and police all helped out."

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police said: "Despite the efforts of those at the scene, the man was located but had sadly died."

Reports Daily Mail