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 jump off the cliff. But they ignore it,” he said.
We’ve ended up like a cash-and-carry with the number of injured youngsters
“The cardinal rule is that you should never jump into sea you are unfamiliar with. You can get hit by submerged objects or pummelled against the rocks by currents. In fact, most victims are foreigners.”
Mr Micallef urged tourist agencies to warn their clients of the dangers of jumping into the sea. He added that even professionally trained athletes plummeting into the carefully measured depths of a swimming pool sometimes landed badly, let alone people who are not trained to jump from such heights.
Patrick Farrugia, acting chairman of the Accident and Emergency Department at Mater Dei Hospital, warned that the consequences of a bad landing could be dire.
If a person injures his neck or bangs his head, he could spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, unable to move his arms and legs. If a person jumps vertically, he could injure his lower back, while landing flat on the back or stomach could result in injuries to internal organs such as liver and spleen.
Injuries to the upper part of the neck can cause immediate death.
“Any jump from a spot which is higher than your own height can be dangerous. People need to be trained to jump – you can’t just jump assuming everything will be fine because there’s water beneath you and not land,” Dr Farrugia said.
“A place like Cominotto is very high. That means there will be greater acceleration and greater impact.
“Even if you land legs first, the impact is strong enough to cause your spine to collapse.
“So think again.
Is it really worth it for just a couple of seconds’ fun?”
To contact the ERRC call 9900 0112.