GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — A 7-year-old girl has died after a tree fell on a tent in Elkmont Campground overnight, according to a spokeswoman for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The girl is identified only as being from Georgia. Her father and two siblings were uninjured, according to park officials.
First responders were called to the campground 10-mile outside of Gatlinburg around 12:30 a.m. on July 27. There they found a large tree — a red maple — that was approximately two feet in diameter that had fallen on the tent, the park said.
At this time, this campsite and those immediately near it are closed. A park spokeswoman said Elkmont Campground remains open.
This is the second child killed by falling trees while sleeping in the Smokies this year. In January, a 7-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on a rental cabin in Townsend.
The region has received a large amount of rainfall in recent weeks, including a flash flood at Greenbrier Campground, roughly 16 miles north of Elkmont, on July 13. Greenbrier is fully closed due to landslides and washouts that park officials said made the roads too dangerous to remain open.
Emergency responders from Gatlinburg Fire Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, and the National Park Service responded to the call for help at Elkmont Campground.