A tourist is recovering from his injuries after falling off a 90-metre cliff in Meat Cove, N.S., and waiting hours to be rescued.

The RCMP said the 30-year-old man from Montreal was walking in the dark early Thursday morning when he fell down a steep embankment on the northern tip of Cape Breton.

The man landed on the beach below, injuring his leg and suffering other cuts and bruises. He sat in the dark for at least two hours before another camper heard his cries and saw his flashlight.

'It's a miracle he actually survived.'—Hector Hines, rescuer

The camper ran to a nearby house in a frantic search for help. Within minutes, several local men were on their way to the cliff.

Hector Hines said he and the other rescuers quickly realized the only way to the injured man was by boat.

"It's probably fairly close to a 300-foot drop and it's really, really sharp rocks at the bottom and all along the sides. It's a miracle he actually survived," Hines told CBC News on Friday.

The RCMP and firefighters were ferried to the beach aboard a small boat provided by one of the local men.

The injured tourist was taken to an accessible area of coastline. He was then transferred to an ambulance and driven to the health centre in Neils Harbour. He was treated and released a few hours later.

The rescuers say the man was with a group of friends who were planning to surf in Cape Breton.

The RCMP said he can thank the residents of Meat Cove for their quick and heroic response.

But Phyllis Hines, who opened the door at 3 a.m., said they only answered the call of duty.

"We'll do that for anybody," she said. "We're the kind of community that will do that for anybody under any circumstances."

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