Utah Authorities Rescue 2 Hikers Off Mountain After They Got Lost In The Dark

Search and rescue authorities in Utah rescued a pair of hikers off a mountain Friday after they had lost their way in the night's darkness during the steep climb.

The hikers were scaling the Scott Room route on Little Cottonwood Canyon, located in the Salt Lake Valley which is about 20 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, when they failed to find the rappel stations and thus couldn't descend the mountain.

The hikers, who had set out around 4 p.m. ET, lost contact with their rappel stations after completing the five-pitch route late in the evening. They ended up getting stranded along the slope of the mountain, Salt Lake County Search and Rescue (SLCOSAR) said as per ABC 4.

"They completed the 5-pitch route late in the evening and didn't know the decent [sic] route or have adequate light to be able to find the rappel stations to get back off the route in the dark," SLCOSAR explained.

Rescue teams familiar with the route reached the base of the descent and pointed high-powered lights to guide the hikers toward their rappel stations, thereby helping them get off the route.

It took the authorities 2.5 hours to help the hikers safely climb down the mountain. The operation ended at around 2 a.m., the outlet reported.

On Facebook, SLCOSAR shared some images taken during the rescue operation. In the photos, the hikers could be seen clinging to the side of the mountain with a spotlight pointed at them.

In June 2016, the bodies of seven hikers, who came from different countries including the U.S., the U.K., Australia and India, were recovered from the Indian Himalayas. The hikers died when they were struck by a massive avalanche during the hike and due to extreme weather conditions, it took authorities a month to conduct a rescue operation. A paramilitary force was deployed to recover the bodies and authorities were looking for an eighth victim.