KERN RIVER CANYON, Calif. -- Two people were pulled from the Kern River Canyon after the vehicle they were riding in went off the roadway.

On Wednesday, around 5:23 a.m., a call was received by the Kern County Fire Department for a vehicle that had left the roadway about a mile west of the junction of Kern Canyon Road and Kern River Canyon along Highway 178.

Sean Collins of the Kern County Fire Department said the vehicle left the roadway and came to rest on the hillside about 75 feet below.

Ten Kern County firefighters and members of other medical services attended the scene.

Fire crews said they located the vehicle in a precarious position on the hillside with two people trapped inside.

Firefighters used chains to stabilize and anchor the vehicle, which was in danger of sliding more than 300 feet to the river below, Collins said.

With the vehicle secured, Collins said, firefighters used the Jaws of Life to release the occupants.

Because of the steep and rugged terrain, Collins said, fire crews set up a low angle rope rescue system to assist the victims, who had suffered minor to moderate injuries and were transported to an area hospital by ground ambulance.