Four hikers stranded by floodwaters rescued in Malibu Canyon
Four hikers stranded by floodwaters were flown out of Malibu Canyon by helicopter early Sunday, authorities said.
The hikers were cold and exhausted, but uninjured, said Sgt. Jeff Slutske of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The hikers had crossed a section of the creek Saturday afternoon when the water was low, but by the time they returned, the stream was running too high and fast to cross. Sheriff’s officials got a call from the hikers about 6:30 p.m. saying they were stranded.
The Malibu search-and-rescue team and county fire crews were deployed. “They were trying to wait for the water to subside, but they finally had to call the helicopter,” Slutske said.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Air Unit pulled the hikers out of the canyon around 3:15 a.m.
[Updated 1:30 p.m. PST March 2: The hikers included three men and one woman, who did not want to be identified, said Capt. Mike Parker of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Parker said a Ventura County sheriff’s helicopter, assisting in the search, spotted the hikers on top of a rock in the middle of a surging river.
“They put a spotlight on them, hooked up a hoist and hoisted out one [hiker] at a time and saved their lives,” he said.]
joe.mozingo@latimes.com
Twitter: @joemozingo | Facebook
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