Watch: Hiker clinging to cliff “thousands of feet above ground for an hour” is rescued by helicopter team

A female hiker left clinging to a cliff “thousands of feet above ground” for more than hour is rescued in dramatic new video.

On 13 April (Sunday), the aviation team from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Whitewater area of the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California, just south of San Bernardino County.

The “very experienced hiker”, who had been stuck in a very precarious spot for over an hour, managed to send an emergency text to 911 via her fitness tracker.

Rescuers were unable to get a harness around her due to her position on the cliff-face, so resorted to a bear hug to carry her to safety.

She suffered "some cuts, some bruises and complete exhaustion" but was otherwise uninjured.