Hikers rescued off Organ Mountains

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) - A group of hikers were stranded on a trail to The Needle on the west side of the Organ Mountains.

It happened on Friday evening, the Las Cruces Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team learned five hikers reported someone in their party was showing symptoms of heat exhaustion preventing him from coming down from the mountain on his own.

The Technical Rescue Team along with Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, the Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Team and New Mexico State Police located three of the five stranded hikers, including the one suffering from heat exhaustion before 9 p.m.

They say two hikers were able to come down on their own. The group was medically assessed and found to have suffered minor injuries.

Rescuers say Las Cruces reached 104 degrees, and although temperatures in the Organ Mountains are slightly cooler, hiking in the afternoon hours is not advisable.