KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A UH-60 Blackhawk medical flight crew from the Tennessee National Guard rescued a hiker who suffered from a severe illness in a remote part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Monday evening, according to TNG.
Before 7 p.m., TNG and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified of a hiker requiring "immediate medical assistance." The hiker was found more than 5,000 feet above sea level at Icewater Springs, according to officials.
A flight crew from TNG's Task Force Smokey later took off from McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base to rescue the hiker.
The UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter arrived on the scene and quickly performed a hoist rescue to lift the hiker into the aircraft, authorities said.
The crew then took the hiker to the University of Tennessee Medical Center just after 9 p.m.
TNG has not provided updates on the status of the hiker at this time.