By Craig McManamon

AN ELDERLY man has died after plunging 50 feet down a cliff face near Elie.

Police say the 79-year-old, who has not been named but believed to have lived in the area, had been walking on the Chain Walk coastal path close to Kincraig Point when he lost his footing and fell.

A massive co-ordinated rescue got under way after the alarm was raised at around 12.45pm on Saturday.

A spokesman for the fire service said two crews from Methil and Anstruther were among the first to arrive at the scene, but were forced to run approximately one mile on foot due to the remote location.

The spokesman continued, “The rescue was hampered with there being no access roads to where the incident was located and crews had to literally seek the man out because it was not clear where he was.”

He added, “When crews arrived they worked to stabilise the man and administer first aid.”

The St Andrews and Leven Coastguard 24-hour volunteer teams were alerted as well as in-shore and all-weather RNLI lifeboats from Anstruther.

Graham Stirling (41), an amateur landscape photographer, arrived on the scene just moments after the accident happened.

He said, “I was in the area to take pictures of the beach and stumbled across the incident. When I got there I could see the man lying on the beach with his jacket still halfway up the cliff. There were no rescue teams at this point but a passer-by was at the man’s side giving first aid.”

Mr Stirling, who is a surveyor living in East Lothian, grew up in Elie and knows the area well.

He said it appeared the man had fallen from the cliff edge close to the former gun battery used in the second world war between Kincraig Point and MacDuff’s Cave.

He continued, “The police arrived first and must have slid down to the man because they reached him in no time at all.

“I could then hear them trying to comfort the man who was talking to them.”

He added, “I stayed out the way of the rescue—the guys really knew what they were doing.”

The rescue effort was co-ordinated by the Forth District 24-hour Maritime and Rescue Sub-Centre at Fife Ness which scrambled a Sea King rescue helicopter based at RAF Boulmer, 30 miles north of Newcastle, to airlift the man to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Fife Police are appealing for witnesses—especially a large party of four to five adults with children—to contact them on 0845 600 5702.