Dozens of hikers trapped by high water from heavy rains in an Arizona canyon were rescued Saturday, authorities said.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said some 50 adults and children were stranded in a canyon in the Catalina Mountains outside Tucson as water gushing down the mountains washed out trails.

The hikers were rescued in groups and the first was out of Bear Canyon just after 5 p.m. local time, while the last group left three hours later, the Associated Press has reported.

The rescuers used flotation devices and ropes to rescue the hikers and half a dozen hikers were flown out by helicopter, local media reported. The search started at 2.p.m. and ended by 8 p.m. local time.

"A rescue team member was behind us with a hand on that flotation device," Michael Rolland, one of the stranded hikers said, "and they strung a rope across, and so we had to grab the rope and sidestep across the river."

"People simply do not take the weather conditions and the quickly changing weather conditions into account," Deputy Tom Peine said. "We're ready to deal with it and bring these people to safety."

Arizona