Two hikers were struck by lightning while taking photos on the top of an Arizona mountain

Flagstaff, Arizona. – Two hikers were rescued from a mountaintop in northern Arizona after being struck by lightning on Tuesday.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the rescue, saying the hikers were rescued from the summit of Humphreys Peak.

On Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies received a phone call from two male hikers who told officers they had been struck by lightning.

Surprisingly, the stranded hikers did not know each other and were from Flagstaff and Canada.

The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they were taking photos while at the top of the mountain when they were struck by lightning.

Search and rescue teams were immediately deployed at the front of the road.

Officials stated that they requested aircraft support but were denied due to inclement weather, including lightning, hail, and heavy rain.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, rescue teams used two UTVs to reach the victims before completing the rest of the rescue on foot.

“The other injured hiker was reported to have been unable to continue and stopped near the saddle between Humphreys and Agassiz Peaks, approximately 0.7 miles from the trail at an elevation of 11,800 feet,” a news release from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said.

First responders had to use garbage to dig out the second victim because he was unable to walk due to the steep terrain and his physical condition.

Both hikers were successfully transported to the area’s Incident Command Center, where an ambulance transported them to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment and observation.

According to the National Weather Service, lightning kills about 20 people in the United States each year, and hundreds more are seriously injured.

Lightning strikes occur about 25 million times a year in the United States