U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crews rescued hikers from snowy conditions in the Huachuca Mountains south of the Sierra Vista last week, officials said.

Cochise County Sheriff’s Office agents helped search for a hiker, a man from Australia, who was stranded Thursday in freezing temperatures in the Arizona mountains on Thursday, a CBP spokesman said. asked for

Weather prevented the crew from starting the rescue on Thursday night, but on Friday morning, the Tucson Air Branch, part of CBP’s Aviation and Marine Corps, launched a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.

According to CCSO, a hiker lost his shoes in the snow while trying to hike along the Arizona Trail in the wilderness of Miller Peak, about 65 miles southeast of Tucson. The CCSO said Arizona Department of Public Safety Chopper attempted a rescue on Thursday, but high winds and cloud cover stopped the effort. I decided to wait for help.

The AMO crew located the hikers and used a hoist to lift the men onto the helicopter. The crew flew him to awaiting agents and paramedics for an evaluation, CBP officials said.

Video release The agency showed AMO agents descending on a cable to the hikers, then taking both men to an aircraft hovering above the snow-covered trees.

“Our crew is doing a great job. They are highly skilled and go above and beyond to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone they encounter,” said Norman Montgomery, president of the Tucson Aviation Branch. This was tragically deadly.Without the diligence of the agents there would be no result.”

AMO manages fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones and ships along the country’s borders and coasts.

AMO agents have rescued 60 people this year, which began Oct. 1, 2022, CBP officials said. During fiscal 2021, the agency said he rescued 233 people in the Tucson sector, which runs from Yuma County to the Arizona-New Mexico border, and across the U.S.-Mexico border, CBP personnel rescued 12,857 people in the same period. The agency said it rescued the statistics.