A woman had an astonishing escape yesterday when the minibus she was driving plunged into a ravine at a beauty spot.

The vehicle hurtled 200ft down the Hole of Horcum, on the North York Moors.

The driver, who was the only person in the minibus, was airlifted to hospital in Scarborough after being cut from the wreckage by firefighters. She is understood to have only minor injuries.

The accident happened at 3.50pm as the woman, who has not been named, was driving on the A169 Pickering to Whitby Road.

Sergeant Simon Wilson, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "She has been incredibly lucky, without a shadow of a doubt. It is quite a winding road, but usually when there are accidents there, they happen on the road itself."

Residents in nearby Levisham were surprised to learn that the woman was still alive.

One local woman said: "It is very steep and at the point where the road runs around the top of the hole it is virtually a sheer drop. It is good news that she is still alive, but she has been very lucky. We can only think that trees and shrubs on the side of the valley must have slowed her descent."

It is the second time in less than three years that a vehicle has plunged into the ravine.

In 2000, lorry driver Mick Harper was critically injured when his wagon fell 50ft down the Hole of Horcum.