UPDATE: 2 Survive 100-Foot Drop Off Kahekili Cliff
By Wendy Osher
(Update: 8:25 a.m. 8/28/12)
Two visitors from the mainland were transported to the hospital this morning with scrapes and bruises after the vehicle they were in plunged 100-feet off a cliff along the Kahekili Highway early this morning.
One of the occupants, a man in his 20s from Belton, South Carolina, got out of the vehicle and hiked up the cliffside to search for help, Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga said.
According to Mainaga, a local resident found the man on the roadside about three hours later at around 5:30 a.m.
The other individual, a man in his 30s from Lafayette, California, was airlifted out of the valley after rescue crews secured a landing zone in the pasture near the cliff.
Officials said both individuals had some bruises and scratches, but both were walking and talking.
Crews responding to the scene included: Engine 1 from Wailuku, Air-1, and Rescue 10 from Kahului.
(Update: 8:01 a.m. 8/28/12)
Rescue crews have wrapped up operations on the Kahekili Highway where a vehicle had gone over the cliff this morning. The incident was reported just before 5:30 a.m. near Mile Post 10. Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga said an individual was transported via ambulance to the hospital for unknown injuries.
(Posted: 6:30 a.m. 8/28/12)
Emergency crews on Maui are responding to reports of a vehicle that went over the cliff of the Kahekili Highway. The incident was reported just before 5:30 a.m. near mile marker 10. Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga said it is unknown how far the vehicle dropped, but there is voice contact between the victim and first responders. Mainaga said helicopter operations are currently underway to rescue the victim. The Kahekili Highway remains open to traffic at this time.