San Bernardino, California
\n AP
\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Rescue crews responding during high winds to a report of an injured hiker who fell down a slope near a Southern California mountain trail found the man and two of his companions dead, authorities said.\n <\/p>\n
\n The three bodies were discovered Monday evening along the Devil\u2019s Backbone Trail at Mount Baldy, which rises more than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) east of Los Angeles, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff\u2019s Department.\n <\/p>\n
\n The department said it received a call around 11:30 a.m. Monday from someone reporting that their 19-year-old friend had tumbled 500 feet (150 meters) down a remote mountainside. The caller had hiked to an area with cellular service and provided GPS coordinates to rescuers.\n <\/p>\n
\n A helicopter crew spotted the injured hiker and two other people but strong winds<\/a> prevented the aircraft from landing. A second landing attempt hours later was also unsuccessful because of winds.\n <\/p>\n \n A medic was eventually hoisted down from a helicopter and found all three people dead around 7:30 p.m., the sheriff\u2019s statement said. Their identities were not released as of Tuesday and the cause of the deaths wasn\u2019t immediately known.\n <\/p>\n \n Southern California had been buffeted by strong Santa Ana winds<\/a>, with isolated gusts reaching 70 mph (112 kph) in some areas.\n <\/p>\n