Five suffer spinal injury after leaping from cliffs

Five foreign daredevils have suffered spinal injuries in the past week following gravity defying leaps off cliffs into the sea. Four English language students aged 14, 15, 20 and 25 were injured in separate incidents after taking a 21-metre leap from the same spot on the tiny island of Cominotto. They were all taken to the Gozo General Hospital suffering from spinal injuries. Some were even operated upon, according to the Emergency and Response Rescue Corps (ERRC), a voluntary organisation which offers first aid and water rescue services in Comino’s Blue Lagoon and Ramla Bay. The police said another foreign man was seriously injured after jumping off the high rocks at Tax-Xwejni, limits of Żebbuġ, Gozo. He was rescued by the Civil Protection Department and transported to Gozo General Hospital. “We’ve ended up like a cash-and-carry with the number of injured youngsters,” ERRC operations officer Charles Micallef told The Sunday Times of Malta. He explained that the latest casualty, a 15-year-old girl, swam to land after plunging into the sea off Cominotto last Friday. As soon as she sat down, her back locked and she was unable to move. “There’s even a sign post warning people not to...