According to a news release from the National Park Service, a 7-year-old girl was killed after a tree fell on her tent while she and her family slept in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park rangers responded to an emergency in the Elkmont Campground at around 12:30 a.m. on July 27 after the tree fell on the girl, who is from Georgia. Other family members, including her father and two siblings, were not injured. The large, red maple tree was about two feet in diameter.
The Elkmont Campground is located between Gatlinburg and Townsend. Emergency responders from Gatlingburg Fire Department, Gatlingburg Police Department and the National Park Service responded to the site, the release said. The campsite affected and adjacent campsites were closed, while Elkmont Campground remains open.
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