Almost 20 Search and Rescue members, along with RCMP, fire and ambulance personnel, were called to rescue seven teenagers on a steep slope in Harrison last Monday, August 3.
A helicopter extracted three of the individuals while the other four were led safely out by Search and Rescue members.
According to officials, seven teenagers had clambered up a steep, unstable slope. One was hit in the head by pieces of falling rock and suffered several small head wounds.
“The group had got themselves into a spot where they felt unsafe to either go up or down,” explains Neil Brewer, search manager with Kent Harrison Search and Rescue (KHSAR).
The call for help from the teenagers on the cliff came in at approximately 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon. KHSAR was called after emergency crews arrived on scene and realized what was involved with the rescue. SAR sent two members to the subjects to assess the injured female. Meanwhile, several SAR members made their way through the bush to access the area from a safer route 200 metres north.
“Eventually, four of the subjects were escorted out using the route established, while three were airlifted off the cliff,” reports Brewer.
While this incident was in progress, RCMP advised KHSAR of three climbers who were overdue from a trip to Mt Clarke in the Chehalis range, north of Statlu Lake. Fortunately the group made it off the mountain and were forced to leave the area via Pemberton due to the forest fire.
