Arizona Hikers Stranded By Flooding Are Rescued

Published: Monday, July 24, 2017 - 11:56am
Updated: Monday, July 24, 2017 - 11:57am

The last of 17 hikers stranded by a flash flood this weekend in Arizona have been rescued.

A rescue helicopter picked up the last two people this morning after they spent the night in a scenic canyon popular with hikers on the outskirts of metro Tucson.

Pima County Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Gress said half of the hikers were either walked out by rescue teams or lifted out by helicopter on Sunday.

"The final two out of those 17 took the longest because they were on kind of a cliffside," explained Gress.

Gress said this isn’t the first time his department has seen this type of situation this year. He added hikers should always be vigilant as flash flooding doesn’t always happen while rain is falling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.