Officials are deploying teams to rescue more than 50 people trapped on the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee.

Ballad Health, which runs the hospital, posts on social media that it was alerted this morning by county officials that the hospital staff, as well as 11 patients, must be evacuated due to the rapidly rising Nolichucky River.

“Unicoi County leaders deployed ambulances, however, the flooding of the property happened so quickly the ambulances could not safely approach the hospital,” Ballad Health says.

Emergency officials sent boats, but the water around the building “which had also begun intruding inside the hospital, became extremely dangerous and impassable and prevented the boats from safely being able to evacuate the hospital”.

High winds also made aerial evacuations impossible, the hospital said.

Virginia State Police posted on X/Twitter that the agency is currently deploying “aviation units” to rescue the 58 patients and staff that are trapped on the roof.