A barking dog prompted the rescue of a missing hiker found nearly 200 feet down a steep mountain slope in Hawaii

By Andy Rose and Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN

(CNN) — Rescuers rappelled down a steep mountain slope in Hawaii Monday and airlifted a missing hiker found nearly 200 feet below the trail to safety after her barking dog caught the attention of bystanders.

A hiker on the Lanipo Trail in Kaimuki called 911 Monday, saying an unaccompanied dog was barking at the edge of a steep slope deep into the trail, the Honolulu Fire Department said.

Rescue crews were quickly dispatched, including seventeen responders from the fire department, some in an aircraft above the trail and others on foot below.

Responders in the aircraft spotted the dog, prompting a lone rescuer to rappel about 20 feet down the slope to retrieve it. While airlifting the dog to a landing zone in the park, the pilot noticed an object about 70 feet below where the dog was found.

After getting the dog to safety, the same rescuer rappelled down to retrieve the item and discovered a bag filled with personal items.

Meanwhile, responders on the ground who were caring for the dog found a name and contact information for its owners on its collar. When phone calls to the owner went unanswered, the Honolulu Police Department performed a wellness check at their address and found no one home, the fire department said.

Responders confirmed that the owner’s car was parked at the trailhead and launched “an extensive and coordinated search by air and ground.”

They found the owner, a 35-year-old woman, underneath thick foliage about 100 feet below where the bag was found, the fire department said.

Responders provided basic life support treatment before getting the hiker into a rescue stretcher and airlifting her to safety about three hours after the initial 911 call came in.

CNN has reached out to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services for more information about the condition of the rescued hiker.

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