The aircraft got stuck in the power lines, suspended high up in the air
A small plane with two people on board crashed into an electricity pylon, causing widespread power outages in Gaithersburg, Maryland on Sunday night.
Authorities have managed to contact the pilot and passenger of the plane, confirming that both of them are alive following the incident that happened around 6:15pm local time.
Police have closed off the area and urged residents to stay away, warning that some of the wires were still live. About an hour later, first responders were still working to rescue the victims, who got stuck in the power lines dangling around 30 meters (100 feet) in the air.
“We have a man in contact with them, they seem to be OK at this time. However they are in a very precarious situation due to the fact that they are dangling about 100 feet up and everything is still energized,” a spokesperson for Montgomery County’s Fire & Rescue Service, Pete Piringer, said in a video he recorded at the scene.
The incident left tens of thousands of homes without electricity throughout the northern parts of Montgomery County, the Potomac Electric Power Company has confirmed.
“We have confirmed that a private plane came into contact with Pepco’s transmission lines in Montgomery County, resulting in an outage to approximately 85,000 customers,” the utility said in a tweet.
“We are awaiting clearance to the scene before crews can begin work to stabilize the electric infrastructure and begin restoring service,” the company added.
