Two elderly citizens who became ill while hiking in the Tucson Mountains were recently rescued by Air and Marine Operations, a component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
According to a news release from CBP, the Tucson Air Branch received a request from the National Park Service to assist a search and rescue team responding to distressed hikers.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was dispatched to the scene.
Pima County Sheriff's Search and Rescue deputies informed the aircrew upon arrival, that the hikers were experiencing severe cramps and fatigue, the news release said, making it impossible for them to continue their hike.
The aircrew determined that a hoist extraction was the safest means of evacuation, the news release said.
An emergency medical tech and rescue specialist were lowered to the hikers. They provided medical assessments and secured the hikers for extraction, the news release said.
The hikers were safely transported to Pima County Sheriff's Office personnel and National Park Service rangers near the trailhead, the news release said.
