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Hikers rescued after frigid night on Eagle Mountain in Coquitlam

Five hikers stranded on Coquitlam's Eagle Mountain for over 20 hours were found by search and rescue crews early Sunday morning.
A party of 12 — including seven rescuers — descend Swan Falls trail.
A party of 12 — including seven rescuers — descend Swan Falls trail.

Five hikers stranded on Coquitlam's Eagle Mountain for over 20 hours were found by search and rescue crews early Sunday morning.

Crews located the group of three women and two men in their 20s in frigid conditions and helped them walk safely off the mountain also known as Eagle Ridge.

The group had been snowshoing near Buntzen Lake.

Al Hurley with Coquitlam Search and Rescue says the hikers were wearing thin clothing and only packed two aluminum space blankets for warmth.

He says they were nearly hypothermic from being out in the rain and a crew member on the phone talked them through how to dig a pit and create a shelter with sticks.

Hurley adds the trip down the steep, icy mountain wasn't easy, but fortunately no one suffered any injuries.

Search manager Raymond Nordstrand says there was a delay in the rescue because of the risk of avalanches due to recent snowstorms.

— With files from The Canadian Press