24 stranded and ‘disoriented’ Texas hikers rescued from New Mexico mountains, cops say

A group of 24 hikers from Texas were rescued after getting stranded in the Organ Mountains in New Mexico, officials said.

The hikers from El Paso got stuck Sunday during a “rather ambitious attempt to scale The Needle, one of the most difficult ascents in the Organ Mountains,” La Cruces police said in a Facebook post.

The group, which ranged from teens to adults, started the hike at 4 a.m. Sunday and some members fell behind, with smaller groups splintering “onto different trails and subsequently became disoriented,” authorities said.

Police said once the sun set, the hikers called 911 after not being able to find their way off the mountain, which is part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Police said the La Cruces Fire Department’s rescue teams were alerted around 8 p.m. and the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police were also called to help find the group.

Rescuers found a 47-year-old woman with non-life-threatening injuries was transported off the mountain in a basket and taken to Memorial Medical Center around a day after the group began their hike, according to authorities.

The other hikers were found at various points along the La Cueva trail and taken to the trailhead, police said. Some of the hikers had minor injuries, including bruises and scrapes, while others were dehydrated, police said.

Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue crews and Las Cruces firefighters said the rescue was the third this year in the Organ Mountains, KVIA reports.