Emergency workers have found the body of Charlotte Blackman, a 23-year old woman who was trapped beneath hundreds of tonnes of rocks following a landslide at a Dorset beach.

Rescue workers found the body of Blackman at around 9.40pm on 24 July, having been called in following the landslide on Burton Bradstock beach earlier in the day.

The immediate family of the victim has been informed, and members are currently receiving attention from officers.

Dorset police said: "The body is believed to be that of a 22-year-old woman reported missing earlier in the day following the landslide at the location. Next of kin are aware and family liaison officers are supporting the family.

"The coroner has been informed. It is believed the incident was a tragic accident and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time."

Trapped beneath 400 tonnes

Blackman is reported to have been buried when around 400 tonnes of rocks fell from a 150ft cliff in two separate landslides, which came in quick succession.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Blackman was walking beneath the cliff when the landslides took place. Her boyfriend and father were close by when the rocks fell.

One man, who has not been named, suffered minor injuries in the landslides, and required treatment from paramedics.

Dorset police, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service and the Urban Search and Rescue Service (USAR) were all called in to salvage Blackman from the mountain of rocks. Helicopters, sniffer dogs and coastguard teams were also involved.

It is thought that the extreme recent weather conditions, which have seen weeks of torrential rain followed by a burst of sunshine, caused erosion at the top of the cliff, causing the rocks to fall.

"We just saw a huge cloud of yellow dust from the cliff. Clearly some of the cliff had fallen on to the beach and within 20 minutes the emergency services had arrived," Liz Rice, an eyewitness, told the BBC.

The incident comes two weeks after Somerset couple Rosemary Snell, 67, and Michael Rolfe, 72, were killed in a landslide at the Beaminster Tunnel just nine miles away.