Teen, 15, survives 100-foot fall off cliff into water off Guam
HAGATNA, Guam – A 15-year-old boy fell about 100 feet from a cliff into the water off Guam on Tuesday. He suffered serious injuries but was alert and conscious when first responders reached him, Guam Fire Department officials said.
A crew on a rescue boat pulled the boy from the water, said Kevin Reilly, a Guam firefighter and department spokesman. The crew took him to the Hagatna marina and then to an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
The boy had multiple lacerations and injuries to his head and body from the fall from Jonestown Cliff on the western side of Guam, Assistant Fire Chief Daren Burrier said, but rescue units had responded quickly.
The boy was stable on the way to the hospital, Burrier said.
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Ocean conditions in the Mariana Islands, which Guam is a part of, were particularly threatening Tuesday with a typhoon in the area. Guam, which is in the western Pacific Ocean, is about 5,800 miles west of San Francisco and nearly 1,600 miles east of Manila, Philippines.
Super Typhoon Hagibis passed over Anatahan at 1 a.m. local time Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. By 10 a.m., Hagibis was moving away from the Marianas.
But Hagibis continued to affect the region, and Burrier cautioned residents to heed weather advisories. He said the skies may clear up and the sun might be out in the next few days, but the water will still be rough.
The weather service had issued a high surf warning and a high surf advisory Tuesday for Guam and Rota. The surf advisory is in effect until about Friday morning.
A high surf advisory means that dangerous, battering waves will pound the shoreline and make for life-threatening conditions.
High surf will affect all beaches and produce “dangerous swimming conditions,” according to the National Weather Service.
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This article originally appeared on Pacific Daily News: Guam fall: Teen survives 100-foot fall off cliff into water
