Boy stretchered from Giant's Causeway after fall

Emergency services crews attended the incident on Tuesday at the Unesco world heritage site in County Antrim

More than 12 crew members from the Coastguard were required to safely stretcher a boy from the Giant's Causeway after he fell and broke his leg on the rocks.

Emergency service crews attended the incident on Tuesday afternoon at the famous Unesco world heritage site in County Antrim.

Coastguard rescue teams from Coleraine and Ballycastle were involved in the rescue alongside paramedics from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS).

Station officer for Coleraine coastguard rescue team Alistair Simpson said the boy slipped and sustained "a serious broken leg injury" while on the famous landmark.

The Giant's Causeway is a Unesco world heritage site made up of large hexagonal basalt columns protruding from the sea.

It is one of the most visited tourist sites on the island of Ireland and attracts thousands of visitors every day.

Station officer for Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team Alistair Simpson says a number of crew members were required to transport the boy from the rocks

Mr Simpson said it was a difficult operation for his crews.

"The difficulty with operating on the stones around the Giant's Causeway is that they are very uneven and very slippy," Mr Simpson said.

"It was quite a difficult operation so it took over a dozen members from both Coleraine and Ballycastle crews to help safely remove the casualty on a stretcher.

"The rescue operation is what is known as a caterpillar evacuation, whereby team members form opposing lines and the stretcher is passed over the tricky and hazardous terrain to the care of the ambulance service."

Mr Simpson said they would attend several incidents at the Giant's Causeway every year and would work closely with the National Trust, who help manage the site, to remind people to enjoy the area safely.

"It's very important that people wear appropriate footwear, take their time and watch their footing when they are on the uneven stones," he said.

In a statement, the NIAS said they responded to an incident in the Giant's Causeway area in Bushmills at about 15:30 BST on Tuesday.

NIAS dispatched one emergency ambulance crew and a rapid response paramedic and following initial assessment and treatment at scene, one patient was taken by Ambulance to Causeway Hospital.