By Paul Edward Parker
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. -- The Fire Department on Saturday rescued a woman who had rappelled down a cliff into Purgatory Chasm, but was unable to get back to the top of the seaside escarpment.
Finding herself stuck, the 22-year-old woman, whose name wasn't immediately available, lowered herself into the water and made her way to a tiny beach at the bottom of the chasm, according to Fire Chief Ronald N. Doire.
Her boyfriend, of Newport, also in his early 20s, whose name wasn't immediately available, made it back to the top and called 911 around 11 a.m., Doire said.
The Fire Department used a personal watercraft towing a kayak to ferry her to safety. She was taken to Newport Hospital with minor hypothermia, Doire said.