A man was reportedly rescued after falling 20 to 40 feet near the Lilly Mountain Nature Preserve in Estill County on Wednesday, requiring a difficult multi-agency rescue operation that lasted several hours.

First responders were dispatched to Crooked Creek Road shortly after noon for the fall victim, according to authorities. The area was a challenge to navigate due to difficult terrain with downed trees.

Multiple rescue teams hiked into the remote area to locate the patient. After making contact, rescue crews determined that a low-angle rescue and carry-out would be safer than attempting a hoist by the Kentucky State Police team, authorities reported.

Rescuers used several rope systems to safely extract the victim, carrying him most of the way out to a side-by-side vehicle. The patient

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