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Honolulu Fire Department rescue personnel used a helicopter to pluck two stranded hikers off a mountain cliff above Kaaawa Tuesday morning.
The hikers, a man and woman in their 20s, spent the night on the cliff after getting lost while returning from a ridge hike to a waterfall, said Capt. Terry Seelig, Fire Department spokesman.
Both are Navy personnel assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay. They were not injured and did not require medical attention.
The two started their hike at about 12:30 p.m. Monday and took a wrong turn while returning, Seelig said.
They called for help on their cellphones at about 7:25 p.m. after reaching a cliff at the end of a trail as darkness fell Monday.
Seelig said firefighters searched for about an hour Monday night but suspended the search because of darkness and the difficult terrain.
Rescuers advised the hikers to stay put overnight.
The search resumed at first light, at about 5:15 a.m. Seelig said it was windy, but otherwise conditions were good enough to attempt the aerial rescue.
The helicopter took two rescue specialists to the hikers, who were airlifted off the mountain at about 6:15 a.m.
"It was cold and little wet (overnight)," Seelig said, "but they were fine."