2 rescued in separate incidents on Maui

Maui firefighters on Saturday rescued two people from the shoreline below cliffs at separate locations about 40 miles apart.

A 68-year-old San Diego woman was in serious condition after she fell 25 feet onto rocks from a trail above Red Sand Beach near Hana, Maui.

Maui Fire Department spokesman Edward Taomoto said Hana firefighters, a rescue helicopter and an ambulance from Kahului were called at about 12:45 p.m. to the trail leading to the beach, also known as Kaihalulu Beach.

Hana fire crews arrived 10 minutes later and found the woman on the shoreline with injuries to her head, arms and hips. She had been hiking with friends, Taomoto said.

The hiker was airlifted to the Hana Ball Park. From there, she was transferred to a Maui Medevac helicopter and taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, he said.

About an hour later, Wailuku firefighters were called to rescue a 41-year-old man on the shoreline near milepost 5 off Kahekili Highway in Waihee.

Unable to get to the man at the bottom of a 100-foot sheer cliff, firefighters called for the rescue helicopter, which was returning from the Red Sand Beach rescue, Taomoto said.

The helicopter dropped two firefighters by long line to the beach, and they found the man exhausted and with minor injuries. The man said he had been stuck at the bottom of the cliff since Friday, but did not elaborate on how he got there.

He was airlifted to Kahekili Highway and transported by ambulance to Maui Memorial.