Two people were transported to the hospital Saturday after falling down an embankment at Victor Falls.

Members of the East Pierce Technical Rescue team led the efforts to raise the injured hikers from the base of the falls.

According to a press release, East Pierce received a garbled cell phone call early Saturday evening saying someone was trapped at the base of the falls with two other people, one of whom was seriously injured.

Firefighters arrived at the 18800 block of Rhodes Lake Road around 5:30 p.m. to find three young adults at the base of Victor Falls. According to a witness, the group was standing on the south side of the embankment above the falls when one of them slipped. Another attempted to catch her and they both fell approximately 50 feet to the base of the falls.

A third person climbed down to them and was not injured.

While a several firefighters made their way down to assess the patients and keep them warm, members of the East Pierce Technical Rescue Team began setting up for a high-angle rescue to extricate the injured. They were joined by technical rescue teams from the Pierce County Sheriff, Tacoma-Pierce County Search and Rescue and Orting Valley Fire and Rescue.

In all, 30 firefighters and law enforcement officers participated in the intricate and dangerous operation.

East Pierce Firefighter-paramedic Shawn Wagner was lowered over a 120-foot cliff to retrieve the patients. Nearly two hours after the initial 9-1-1 call, the most critically injured patient was brought to the surface and transported to a local trauma center.

A second patient was treated and transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The third patient was not transported.