Three people have been found dead on Mount Baldy in southern California after high winds prevented rescue crews from reaching them, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced on Monday.
The bodies were discovered along the Devil's Backbone trail on the 10,000ft mountain, east of Los Angeles. The incident began when a caller reported that a 19-year-old hiker had fallen 500ft (150 metres) down a remote slope at around 11:30am on Monday.
A helicopter crew spotted the injured hiker and two others, but strong winds prevented landing. A second attempt hours later also failed. A medic was eventually hoisted down and found all three dead at about 7:30pm. Their identities have not been released.
The deaths occurred near where actor Julian Sands died three years ago. In January 2023, 15 other hikers were lost, injured or died on the mountain. On the same day, two other hikers were rescued from another trail after one fell over 100ft.
In October, three hikers were rescued from the same trail after getting lost. The sheriff's department warned of the mountain's dangers, especially in adverse weather conditions.
