3 hikers found dead on Mount Baldy [View all]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/3-hikers-found-dead-search-rescue-effort-mount/story?id=128787732

3 found dead during search for fallen hiker in California, authorities say
Rescue crews found two of the hikers by chance during a search for the third.

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Amid dangerous conditions, Mount Baldy is now closed until New Year's Day to "protect natural resources and provide for public safety," the sheriff's department said Tuesday afternoon.

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The search for the teen began midday Monday, when a search and rescue team responded to a request to rescue the hiker after he reportedly fell approximately 500 feet near the Devil's Backbone trail, the sheriff's department said.

A friend who was hiking with the teen "hiked to an area with cellular service and provided GPS coordinates to assist rescuers," the sheriff's department said in a press release.

During an aerial search, deputies found the teen as well as two unidentified individuals nearby, though the helicopter was unable to complete the rescue due to severe winds, authorities said.

Later Monday evening, an air medic who was hoisted down confirmed all three hikers were dead, authorities said. The helicopter was still unable to safely recover them at that time due to severe winds.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/3-hikers-found-dead-search-rescue-effort-mount/story?id=128787732