Woman in her 50s rushed to hospital after plunging through hole in Blackpool Pier
7 August 2024, 09:47 | Updated: 7 August 2024, 15:40
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A woman in her 50s was rushed to hospital after plunging through a “trapdoor” on Blackpool Pier.
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Police and firefighters were called to the city’s Central Pier at around 4:30pm on Monday when the woman fell through the iconic landmark, hitting the sand below.
Images from the scene show a massive hole in the pier, where the woman is believed to have fallen.
One witness told the Manchester Evening News: "I was walking the beach with my kids and heard a thud.
"A huge thud next to me nearly on top of my head.
"A lady ploughed to the floor, smashing through the Central Pier. I was absolutely terrified... I thought she was dead."
A Lancashire Police spokesperson said yesterday: "We have received a report of a woman having fallen through a section of the pier in Blackpool at around 4.30pm today.
“The woman has been taken to hospital with injuries. The pier is currently closed."
The extent of the woman’s injuries remains unknown.
Following the incident, the pier's arcade reopened at about 6pm, reports say.
Locals have hit out at the pier’s maintenance in the wake of the incident, branding it an “accident waiting to happen.”
"The pier is obviously corroded. Who the hell is responsible for checking these things?" one person said.
"Only a matter of time before this happened, hope the lady is ok," another added.
"It was only a matter of time before someone went through one of those piers, what a height to fall from though!" a third told the Lancashire Evening Post.
"Thank goodness the tide was out," a fourth noted.
