A TEENAGER plunged 150ft from a cliff-top path in Cornwall after being frightened by a barking dog.

Asif Bharucha, 17, a business studies student at Blackburn College, died while on a college-organised walking trip yesterday.

Fellow students and three tutors watched in horror as Asif, of Shear Brow, fell near Lizard Point, the southern-most tip of England.

Witnesses later told police he seemed startled by a barking dog that was coming towards him.

A Health and Safety Executive inquiry has now been launched.

Coastguards were scrambled to the scene and flew Asif by helicopter to hospital in Truro. He had suffered serious head injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival.

Today, college principal Ian Clinton said that a risk assessment had been carried out before the trip and that everyone was "traumatised."

He said: "They are all very upset and extra staff have gone down to be with the students.

"We have been told they were walking along the coast before a dog started barking. It's one of those situations where 99 times out of 100 you would take the right step, but that didn't happen.

"He was a student who was excelling in his studies. The college is in shock and we would like to pass on our condolences to his family.

"It was an organised trip undertaken previously and safely by other students. The college understands that at this stage the tragedy is being treated as an accident by the authorities."

A relative at the house today said Asif's immediate family had travelled to Cornwall. He said: "We are absolutely devastated. He was a really bright lad, very popular and had a great future.

"Until his parents come back we won't be able to find out any more."

The group had been staying at a youth hostel in Padstow, North Cornwall and had made the 40-mile journey to the south coast yesterday morning. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said: "The Health and Safety Executive have been informed and are making inquiries."

Falmouth Coastguard watch manager, Andy Cattrell, added: "We would ask all walkers to pay attention to the coastal paths and stay away from the edges.

"Many cliffs in our area are both high and dangerous."