WATERVILLE VALLEY, N.H. — Three University of Massachusetts-Amherst students hiking a New Hampshire mountain have been rescued after one started suffering from hypothermia with temperatures in the teens and strong winds.

State Fish and Game officers received a 911 call at about 6 p.m. Tuesday that the hikers were at Mount Wonalancet in the Sandwich Range Wilderness Area. One of them, 20-year-old Matthew Johnson of Sandwich, Massachusetts, was unable to continue; his companions put him in a sleeping bag and tent and called for assistance.

Four officers and 11 volunteers hiked the 3½ miles through rugged terrain and deep snowpack, reaching the hikers at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. With winds gusting up to 40 mph, the wind chill temperature was near zero.

The group eventually was able to hike out to the trailhead. The rescue concluded at about 5 a.m. and no injuries were reported.

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