Seven UTC students were rescued after becoming lost Tuesday evening while hiking.
At 9:15 p.m., a UTC student called 911 to report they were lost on the Cumberland Trail at the Pocket Wilderness area. Rescue personnel from Tennessee State Parks, the Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department and Sequoyah Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene. Rescue personnel were able to stay in contact with the lost party via cell phone.
The student reported to rescue personnel that a group of seven college students entered the trails about 6 p.m. to explore the beautiful scenery for a few hours. Unfortunately, these students were not familiar with the area and were unable to find their way back to the trail entrance.
The students were able to describe their exact location to rescue personnel who advised the students to remain at the “Rock House” at Cable Crossing. It took rescue personnel six hours to make it to their location due to washed out trails in three locations and they used ropes systems to make their way around the mudslides.
At 3 a.m., rescue personnel notified dispatch that the seven students and all rescue personnel were out of the woods. Two injuries were reported. One student had an ankle injury and the other student had a knee injury. They were treated by Hamilton County EMS.
Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue responded to the scene to provide rehab to rescue personnel throughout the night.