Two adult hikers dead, child rescued in N.Y.

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Two adult hikers died and one boy was rescued after they fell down a cliff in Zoar Valley in western New York.

The fatalities were identified only as a man and women, said Erie County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Zylka.

A child between 5 and 10 was taken by Mercy Flight to Women and Children's Hospital for treatment in unknown condition.

At 12:47 p.m. Sunday, a passerby discovered the three hikers on the bottom of Zoar Valley and alerted authorities.

Zoar Valley straddles Cattaraugus and Erie counties, 33 miles south of Buffalo.

The 3,014-acre Zoar Valley, managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is popular for fishing, hunting, hiking, white-water rafting, and wildlife and scenic viewing.

Canyon depths approach 400 feet in height, according to Buffalo Spree, the magazine of western New York.

Zoar Valley was named by Ahaz Allen, an early 19th-century settler of the region. The name is of biblical origin, referring to the city of Zoar from the Book of Genesis.