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Tonya Papanikolas reportingRescuers and a group of stranded hikers are all safe this evening, after many of them spent a frigid night on 9,026-foot Mount Olympus.
Three of the hikers were taken to hospitals this morning. But none of their injuries are life-threatening.
It started Saturday morning. Seven hikers head up the Mount Olympus trail. They planned to return by 4 pm. At 6:00 police receive a call saying several of the hikers have fallen and are hurt.
At 9 pm, search and rescue teams are flown in by helicopter. They reach the injured hikers just before midnight.
Three of the hikers walk out overnight. But it isn't until first light this morning that helicopters are able to get in and bring the others out, after spending a long cold night on the mountainside.
The hikers' injuries ranged from frostbite to broken bones and injuries to their arms, legs, ribs, chest and back. They'd come prepared for a day hike. They had blankets. But they hadn't eaten for about 10 hours when rescue crews reached them.
Before 7:00 this morning, the first three stranded hikers made their way to dry ground. After snowshoeing out with half of the rescue team, they were checked out by paramedics and reunited with family. Then they got something to eat.
In Han/ Rescued Hiker: "I am so sorry about our members, because we got in some accidents."
The seven hikers-- part of the Korean Wasatch Mountaineering Club-- had hiked up to Mount Olympus on Saturday. But on the way back down, they somehow ended up east of the trail.
Daniel Smith/ Search & Rescue Team: "As they came down, one by one, it was so steep that they lost their footing."
Three of the hikers slid up to 100 feet right between the two mountain summits.
In Han: "They fall, so first we take care of them."
The rest of the hikers made their way down the mountain to help. After rescuers got the news, a helicopter dropped off six volunteer searchers, who had to rapel 600 feet in the dark to reach the victims.
In Han: "The rescue team brings warm stuff-- sleeping bags, and then they keep us warm."
Steve Achelis/ Search & Rescue Team: "I think they were pretty comfortable. We got them in eight sleeping bags. We got them piled up. We got their injuries taken care of or stabilized."
After the first three victims hiked out, a Life Flight helicopter flew out the last four, one by one.
The helicopter would drop a person, and sometimes gear, onto the mountain. It was very dangerous! That person would then help hook up the victims before they were flown across the sky back to safety.
In Han: "Without the rescue team's excellent job, maybe we would have really big problems."
To stay warm, rescuers shoveled snow for most of the night. They woke up the victims every 20 minutes to check their vital signs.
These hikers were pretty experienced. They've hiked quite a few significant peaks throughout the Wasatch. They say they are very thankful to the search and rescue teams. They hope to be hiking again when everyone is healthy.
Here are the names of the hikers:
Walked Out
- In Han, age 47
- Inheu Yun, age 41
- Hoon Lee, age 51 They all live in Utah, and are, again, members of the Korean Wasatch Mountaineering Club. The three men who walked out were all treated at the hospital and released. Flown Out
- Jakyung Sung, 51
- Abeyta Kiok, 50
- Usun Park, 63
- Oknam Han, 43 The other four-- three of them women-- were the ones who were airlifted. They all remain hospitalized tonight.
