A YOUNG lady Dora Mango who was taking pictures at lighthouse near Beachy Head drowned when she was dragged off the rocks.
Dora Mango, a 26-year-old pharmacist, and her boyfriend had travelled from their home in Surrey to Eastbourne, East Sussex, for a trip to see the sights when they were discovered floating face-down in the water off the beach, according to the coroner’s findings.
After Jerry dove into the water to swim for assistance, Dora was swept off a rock and drowned, according to testimony given at the inquest.
The woman of Hungarian descent had gone along the base of the cliff to snap pictures of the nearby Belle Tout lighthouse before she and her companion made the trip from their home in Redhill, Surrey, to Eastbourne’s Beachy Head.
The coroner was informed that the pair realised they were stranded when they realised the tide was swiftly coming in after having walked a short distance. Dora clambered onto a rock whilst her lover swam to fetch aid.
In a statement Jerry said: “On October 24 we both used a metal flight of stairs, both took photos and decided to walk towards the lighthouse. About 500 metres from the lighthouse we stood to take photographs. This is when the tide was quickly approaching.
“We said we needed to get back and started walking back but were cut off by the tide. At just after noon both of us were on a small portion of the beach. We tried calling for help but there was no phone signal and both of us screamed for help.
“Dora positioned herself on a rock and I swam about 50 metres around top get to the beach. I found a couple on the beach and an elderly man called the emergency services. This was when the tide had come in some way.
“Dora was last seen on the rock calling for help,” the statement said.
Stewart Walker, a 999 caller, testified during the inquest. Jerry approached us and we could see that he was completely drenched, he said. He appeared to be without shoes because of his discomfort. He said that his girlfriend was still stuck around the corner when he told us about her.
“I went back as far as I could to get a signal. I called 999 about four times because the signal kept breaking up. We tried to see if we could use our belts to get around the rock, Jerry was shouting out with pain, it’s incredibly painful to run on the pebbles there.”
Jerry leaped in the water as soon as they spotted two rucksacks, which worried Mr. Walker because the conditions weren’t good for swimming, and he quickly got out again.
Following the arrival of the coast guard, Mr. Walker had noticed: “I was worried about Jerry since he appeared to be gone and flat. He appeared broken, forlorn, and forsaken.”
Several lifeboats, a rescue crew, and two helicopters were launched, according to testimonies from the Maritime Coastguard Agency that were read by East Sussex Coroner Laura Bedford.
Once Dora’s body was discovered, it was brought to shore where CPR was started and continued until she was transported by air to King’s College Hospital in London. One hour and forty minutes were spent on the incident in total.
Dora arrived at the hospital around 3.30 p.m. without a pulse, and physicians declared her dead at 4 p.m., according to the inquest in Eastbourne.
In order to determine whether the pair had passed any tide warning signs on their way down to the beach at Birling Gap, coroner’s officer David Tye conducted an inquiry there.
He told the hearing: “There was signage that said ‘No exit at high tide’ and ‘No safe access beyond this point’. There were walking times given and a tide timetable. There were significant indications to warn walkers.”
Coroner Ms Bradford concluded: “The post-mortem examination on Ms Mango’s body concluded the cause of death was immersion in seawater and probable drowning.
“They intended to go down to the beach but the action went wrong and Dora sadly passed away. The short form conclusion for Dora Mango’s death is one of misadventure.”
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