Firefighters yesterday morning retrieved the body of a hiker who fell to his death Sunday in Mākaha Valley.

Fire Capt. Robert Main said four units, including the department's Air 1 helicopter, and 12 firefighters, took part in the operation. The name of the hiker was not disclosed.

Because of the remote location, steep terrain and heavy vegetation, rescue personnel were taken to a landing zone at the base of the mountain below the hiker, Main said in a news release.

They hiked up and carried the body back to the landing zone. At about 9:35 a.m., the body was flown to the Mauna Olu Estates Community Center and turned over to the medical examiner's office, Main said.

The hiker, believed to be in his late 20s, fell about 400 feet Sunday while rappeling from a ridge line with another hiker. Main said the man was trying to retrieve equipment he had lost during a hike earlier in the week.

The second hiker was airlifted from the ridge Sunday.