Missing Nevada woman saved after she was found dangling from tree on steep slope

Gayle Stewart found clinging for survival to the tree on cliffside, 400ft from the nearest road

A Nevada woman was rescued after being found dangling from a tree on a steep slope (Twitter/RFD)

A missing Nevada woman was rescued after being found dangling from a tree on a steep slope.

Gayle Stewart, 64, disappeared on Valentine’s Day after leaving her home in Reno, Nevada, at around 8am.

She was eventually found by a friend of her son’s, clinging for survival to the tree on the cliffside, 400ft from the nearest road, according to Reno Fire Department.

Battalion Chief Seth Williams told KOLO that the rescue was “kind of a miracle story.”

“The son called up some friends to start searching for her and one of the boys just decided to head off this cliff thinking maybe she fell down there and found her clinging to a tree,” said Chief Williams.

“He said the last thing she said was ‘help’ and then didn’t talk anymore.”

Firefighters responded to a 911 call from the scene and stabilised the woman before they set up a rescue system to get her back up the slope.

She was then pulled up to safety and taken to hospital, where she was expected to recover.

“Amazing find and rescue of a missing women. A friend of the son found her injured and stranded on a steep slope near Alum Creek,” tweeted Reno Fire Department.

“RFD personnel helped stabilize the patient, built a rescue system and transported her back to pavement in about a 1/2 hour from contact. Strong work!”