2 hikers rescued by helicopter from remote beach after rising tides cut off exit route
Two hikers were rescued by helicopter after becoming stranded on a remote beach in California after rising tides cut off their exit route, police said.
The Marin County Fire Department received a call on Saturday to assist with two stranded hikers who became trapped on the beach near Elephant Rock in the Point Reyes National Seashore, according to a statement from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office on Sunday. The statement said that rising tides cut off the hiker's exit route and left them with no safe escape by land or by sea.
Authorities deployed a helicopter to assist in a long-line rescue operation and the vehicle was configured with a 100-foot-long rope before arriving at the scene and securing each hiker into "hot seat" rescue devices designed for aerial extraction.
Henry-1 executed a long line rescue operation. Henry-1 was configured with a 100-ft long line. The Henry-1 Tactical Flight Officer/EMT was inserted to the beach, where they secured each hiker into "hot seat" rescue devices for aerial extraction.
"Both of the hikers were extracted together and delivered to Marin County Fire Department personnel staged nearby," police said.
Video of the rescue shows authorities descending toward the rocky coastline with crashing waves as the rescuer secures both hikers before the helicopter lifts them into the air and takes them to safety.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
"Thanks to the seamless teamwork between Henry-1 and Marin County Fire, both hikers were safely rescued with no injuries reported," authorities said. "A great example of multi-agency coordination and skilled execution."
