Three fall to their deaths from cliff

Detectives are today investigating a possible triple suicide after the bodies of three people were found at the foot of a 200ft cliff at a well-known beauty spot.

Horrified witnesses saw the two men and a woman fall from the cliffs near Sidmouth, east Devon at around 7.15pm yesterday - but police today said they remained unsure whether the three were the victims of a tragic accident or had made a suicide pact.

The deaths are being treated as suspicious, but police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed witnesses saw the trio, who are not related, fall from the cliff. Detectives know the identities of the three, who have not been named but are believed to come from the Exeter area.

A police helicopter, a coastguard helicopter and a rescue service lifeboat were immediately called to the scene. Ray Colborne, of the Sidmouth Inshore Rescue Service, said the bodies of the two men were on the beach. The rescue craft recovered one of them and the body of the woman was recovered from the sea by the coastguard helicopter.

The cliffs at Salcombe Hill, the site of the incident, are a renowned beauty spot popular with hikers and holidaymakers. It is thought one of the three may have slipped and fallen and the other victims died going to their aid in slippery conditions on a sheer slope which drops directly on to the beach beneath.

The area is also prone to rockfalls and landslides as heavy rainwater causes the cliffs to erode sending tons of debris on to the beach. Beaches near Salcombe Hill have frequently been closed because of the danger of cliff falls in areas which attract thousands of holidaymakers.

Post mortems will be carried out today.