A multi-car crash in Smokey Mountains hospitalized a half-dozen people and shut down a busy East Tennessee highway over the weekend, officials confirmed.

The crash took place about 4:15 p.m. local time on June 1 in Gatlinburg, the city's mayor Mike Werner told USA TODAY.

Warner confirmed the wreck occurred in the 700 block of the Parkway, a highway in the tourist city's busy downtown area of Sevier County.

The Gatlinburg Police Department said in a statement to USA TODAY that five cars were involved in the collision.

GPD said that three of the injured were were taken by medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, and three others were transported to a hospital by ambulance.

Lined with shops and restaurants, the highway rest in a bustling tourist ar

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