Tragic reports have confirmed the death of a hiker in Riverside County who sadly passed away after putting on a brave front to locate his four lost friends who went missing during a group hike near Anza.
The incident took place during the early morning hours, when four members of a hiking party had failed to get back to their starting point. This prompted serious concerns among the group.
One companion opted to go after them on his own, as they were sure to locate his pals in the rugged mountain terrain.
Deputies were seen rushing after receiving alerts later on that same day to a missing hiker situation, and they swiftly rolled out a search operation. This included the likes of both the Aviation Unit and Riverside Mountain rescue teams.
Search crews were seen finding the original four hikers who got disoriented but were still alive. They were airlifted to a nearby hospital for safety and medical evaluation.
However, the efforts were carried on to find the fifth hiker who had risked his life to locate them.
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As the night hours fell, it got more difficult to see, and that’s when the rescuers eventually found his remains at the base of a steep 150-foot rock face.
He was declared dead at the scene, and authorities claim he suffered from a fatal fall in that difficult terrain.