A stranded and terrified hiker was safely rescued by first responders in California after she slipped down a cliffside and was forced to hold on for dear life to prevent herself from tumbling to the ground below.

NORTH EARLY WINTERS SPIRE, Wash. – Authorities said a tragedy befell a group of climbers who were scaling the North Early Winters Spire in Washington State over the weekend.

Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office and county search and rescue volunteers responded to an accident involving a climbing party of four on Sunday morning.

According to the sheriff’s office, the climbers fell while descending from a steep gully – a trench-like land formation caused by running water or mass movement.

TERRIFIED HIKER HOLDS DEATH GRIP IN DRAMATIC NAIL-BITING CLIFFSIDE RESCUE IN CALIFORNIA

Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team assisted in extricating the deceased members of the party from the technical, mountainous terrain.

(Okanogan County Sheriff Office / Facebook)

Officials confirmed the deaths of three individuals at the scene of the accident. The fourth member was able to escape and call for help.

A Helicopter Rescue Team was able to extract the deceased members from the climb.

An investigation is under way, but officials said they presume the accident was caused by the failure of an anchor failure while the group was rappelling down the mountain.