A JOINT training exercise in a Malvern Hills quarry turned into a real-life rescue after fire and ambulance crews came across two young women who had fallen about 15 metres.

The women were only slightly injured in the incident, but one fire fighter on the scene said the the incident could have been much worse, if their fall had not been broken by a tree.

West Midlands Ambulance service's Hazardous Area Response Team and the rope rescue teams from Malvern and Droitwich fire stations were at Tank Quarry on North Hill when when they were approached by a member of a group who told them two of their team had fallen nearby.

The crews swiftly made their way to the scene to find the women who had fallen about 15 metres between a fir tree and rock face.

The fore crews were able to rescue the pair whilst the HART team provided medical care. One woman was released at the scene and the other was taken to hospital via ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

Station Commander Phil Griffiths said: “The pair were very lucky as a nearby fir tree broke their fall and prevented the incident from being much worse. Fortunately, both services were able to respond quickly and efficiently which reinforces the importance of the joint exercises that we regularly undertake. We wish them both a speedy recovery.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The emergency service staff immediately made their way to the location which was about 20 metres away from where they were. They found a woman, believed to be in her mid 20s, who had fallen down the cliff face of around 15 metres and was lying in undergrowth at the bottom.

“She was immediately treated by paramedics at the scene and with the help of the fire service was rescued from her precarious position. The woman was treated for back and neck pain and was also given pain relief.

“A second woman was also treated for a minor facial injury at the scene but did not require hospital treatment. The second woman had also fallen but was relatively uninjured.

“Ambulance and fire service staff worked seamlessly together at the scene to ensure the patient was rescued as quickly and safely as possible. The woman is fortunate that they were already extremely close by at the time on a training exercise."

The women were members of a party from Malvern Outdoor Elements, based in West Malvern. A spokesman for the company said the woman who had been hospitalised was released shortly afterwards.