On Wednesday, March 27th, around 3:30 PM, Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to a distress call at the Embudo Trailhead, concerning a boulder that had rolled down a mountain hill, potentially crushing and injuring three to four hikers.
AFR’s Heavy Technical Rescue (HTR1) arrived on scene to take command and requested further information from initial callers to determine actual injuries, number of people injured, and GPS location. A total of 15 AFR apparatus, 10 Albuquerque Police Department units, 20 Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office units, Bernalillo County Fire Rescue, New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Ambulance, Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council (AMRC), Cibola Search and Rescue, and New Mexico Search and Rescue (NM SAR) teams were dispatched to the scene to establish rescue, treatment, triage, and transport operations.
It was determined that there were a total of 25 people at the location, including two critically injured individuals and one person with minor injuries. The less severely injured patient reportedly sustained a minor lower leg injury and was assisted down to the command post by rescuers, where they underwent further evaluation and treatment. According to AFR, they opted for independent medical care. The New Mexico State Police helicopter, ABLE 7, was able to airlift the two critically injured patients due to favorable winds. The two patients were airlifted and subsequently transferred to a local hospital by ambulance.
The entirety of the rescue operation spanned approximately three hours. You can view photos and short video clips of the rescue operation below.