Hiker pinned under large boulder for 7 hours rescued

A hiker whose leg was pinned beneath a huge boulder for seven hours in the California mountains was freed by a search-and-rescue team, authorities said.

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In a Facebook post, the Inyo County Search & Rescue team said the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol called for assistance on Dec. 5 when a man was trapped beneath the large rock in the Inyo Mountains.

Officials estimated that the boulder weighed between 6,000 to 10,000 pounds, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The search and rescue team said it found the hiker “in great pain” with his left leg pinned beneath the boulder on a steep hillside, according to the Facebook post.

Some rescuers were flown by helicopter into Santa Rita Flat, where the man, who has not been identified, was trapped, the Chronicle reported. The team used ropes, pulleys and leverage to shift the boulder enough to allow the hiker to move.

The hiker was transported to a hospital in Fresno, according to the newspaper. The extent of his injuries, or whether he has been released, have not been revealed.

“Challenges encountered on this mission included coordination of multiple agencies and resources; accessing an accident scene in steep, loose rocky terrain; using limited resources to move a large boulder; managing a severely injured patient for several hours while awaiting the helicopter extrication; assisting in a nighttime helicopter hoist; all in chilly December darkness,” Inyo County Search & Rescue wrote on Facebook.