78-Year-Old Hiker Missing For Days Rescued

LOS ANGELES COUNTY -- A search & rescue team has located and rescued a missing 78-year-old hiker near Sawmill Mountain in Ventura County's Chumash Wilderness area.

At about 3 pm on Aug. 5, Ventura County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 transfer from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Initial reports were that the hiker, Balaji Keshava, had been with a group of people when he was somehow separated from the group near Grouse Mountain after losing the trail in Ventura County.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, dispatchers were able to determine Balaji’s general location using information gathered from the cell phone he used to call 911.

Immediately thereafter, members of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office SAR (Search & Rescue) Teams were activated and responded to the area of Cerro Noroeste where a trailhead was located, near the Kern County line. SAR members searched throughout the evening of Aug. 5 and continued non-stop during the night. A Ventura County Aviation Unit helicopter equipped with a FLIR camera also responded.

SAR team members continued throughout Aug. 6, hiking for several miles in rough terrain at altitudes exceeding 8,000 feet. About 35 personnel, including searchers and coordinators, were involved in the effort.

At about 11 am on Aug. 7, SAR team members located Balaji on a south facing aspect of Grouse Mountain in good condition, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

"He was hoisted from the location via helicopter before receiving immediate care from a SAR flight paramedic on-board the aircraft," the Sheriff's Office explained in a statement. "He was then flown to a nearby hospital where his care was transferred to hospital personnel."