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A 13-year-old girl was last night fighting for her life in Waikato Hospital after falling 20m down a cliff in a remote part of the East Cape.
The girl, from Rotorua, broke a leg and both arms, sustained several other fractures, as well as suspected spinal and possible head injuries, but was still conscious when rescuers arrived, Barry Vincent, pilot for Bay Trust Rescue Helicopter Rotorua told the Herald on Sunday.
The girl climbed a pohutukawa overhanging a cliff but slipped and fell on to rocks below shortly before 4.30pm yesterday. Family members were able to pick their way down to the stricken girl, but getting her safely into the waiting helicopter took a painful three hours, due to difficult access, the girl's severe injuries and strong winds.
