Crews in East Tennessee have performed swift-water rescues of 11 people who got stranded on the Little River.KNOXVILLE - Crews in East Tennessee have safely performed swift-water rescues of 11 people who got stranded on the Little River.
Townsend Volunteer Fire Chief Don Stallions told the Knoxville News Sentinel that crews arrived at the scene Saturday afternoon to find a mix of adults and children holding onto tree branches.
He said the individuals were riding tubes on the river when the water level rose quickly and turned a relatively safe flow into a dangerous situation.
The Townsend Volunteer Fire Department, Blount County Fire Department and Blount Special Operations Response Team arrived at the scene around 12:30 and pulled the last person to safety a couple of hours later.