Three hikers, including a 19-year-old who fell approximately 500 feet (150m), have been found dead on Mt Baldy, a looming snow-capped mountain known to be one of the most dangerous to climb in Southern California.
Rescue workers found the 19-year-old dead and discovered two other dead hikers during the search, Jenny Smith, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, said during a news conference.
The other two dead hikers were not hiking with the teenager, and it is not clear how long they had been deceased on the mountain.
The teenager went hiking on 29 December with a friend who was able to call for help after the teen fell. The friend had to hike away from the fall site near the Devil's Backbone trail to an area with cell reception and provided their GPS location to rescue crews, authorities said. That companion was unharmed.
Due to high winds, emergency crews were unable to complete a recovery operation by helicopter on Monday, but were able to recover the bodies on Tuesday.
