15 hikers from California church group go missing

PASADENA, Calif. – Rescue crews are searching for 15 hikers from a church group who didn’t return from a weekend hike in a Southern California nature preserve.

KNBC-TV reports the young adults and teens set out in the Eaton Canyon Natural Area on Sunday morning and were expected back by the evening. They were reported missing at 9:30 p.m.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials say they are searching early Monday for at least 11 people.

The TV station says the hikers range from 14 to 30 years old and have gone out as a group on 3-mile treks before.

Eaton Canyon is a popular hiking spot in the Angeles National Forest at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s about 15 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

This story was originally published November 10, 2014 at 8:39 AM with the headline "15 hikers from California church group go missing."