A hiker died on Memorial Day after falling about 500 feet from a summit ridge in California’s Sequoia National Park, authorities said Tuesday.
The 56-year-old San Jose man was with two other people when he lost his balance, according to the National Park Service.
One of them, a 45-year-old Milpitas, California, woman, also fell after trying to grab the man, the agency said. She survived the 30-foot fall, according to officials.
A third person in the group used a satellite beacon to declare an emergency before calling 911 on his cellphone, the NPS said in a statement.
The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks helicopter, joined by other rescue teams, were already in the area responding to an unconscious hiker when they received the 911 call, the agency said. Crews rescued the injured woman from the ledge and took her to Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop, California.
She was later flown to a hospital in Reno, Nevada, where she underwent surgery, according to the NPS. It was unclear Wednesday how severe her injuries were or what her status was.
Before their rescue efforts, authorities confirmed the man died in his fall. The hiker’s body was recovered Tuesday by rescuers from the Mount Russell area and taken to a funeral home, according to the NPS.
The identities of the hikers were not released by authorities.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
