- The Honolulu Fire Department said rescuers saved a 35-year-old hiker who fell nearly 200 feet.
- Passing hikers noticed the woman’s dog stuck on a steep slope, barking.
- Rescuers saved the dog, then launched a search for its missing owner.
Rescuers in Honolulu saved a 35-year-old woman who had fallen roughly 170 feet down the side of a mountain thanks to her dog, who barked incessantly and alerted passersby.
The Honolulu Fire Department said in a statement that a group of hikers called 911 on January 15 to report a barking dog on a steep mountain slope, who was apparently without a handler. A rescuer rappelled some 20 feet down the slope and airlifted the dog to safety — but the pilot noticed an object roughly 70 feet below where the dog has been found.
The same rescuer rappelled down to the object and discovered that it was a bag filled with personal items.
The fire department said rescuers noticed the dog’s collar had its owner’s name and phone number — but when they called the number, no one answered. They said the Honolulu Police Department performed a wellness check at the owner’s address, but found no one home.
Ultimately, rescuers realized the dog’s owner had parked her car at the trailhead and they launched “an extensive and coordinated search by air and ground” for the missing owner.
Rescuers located the woman shortly after, and found her underneath some “thick foliage” roughly 100 feet below the spot where her bag was found. Rescuers put her on a stretcher and airlifted her off the mountain and brought her to the hospital.
The woman’s condition remains unclear.
