A small plane crashed
into power lines in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Sunday, leaving tens of
thousands without power. The pilot and passenger of the
plane were trapped after crashing into power lines.

Rescue units were sent
at 5:30 pm local time to reports of a small airplane that had flown into the power lines
in Montgomery County, said Pete Piringer, chief spokesperson for Montgomery
County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service.

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When rescue teams
reached the spot, they found a small plane suspended around 100 feet in the air
that had struck the tower. The pilot and passenger survived and were uninjured,
Piringer added.

According to the Pepco
utility company, roughly 85,000 customers are without power following the crash. The company provides electricity service to around 894,000 customers in
Washington, DC, and surrounding areas in Maryland.

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 “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. We are assessing damage and
working closely with Montgomery County fire and emergency services,” Pepco
tweeted.

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“We are awaiting
clearance to the scene before crews can begin work to stabilize the electric
infrastructure and begin restoring service,” the company added.

Piringer said the fire
department is in talks with the pilot and passenger, and roads are closed as
crews come up with a rescue plan.

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The Federal Aviation
Administration confirmed the crash and the number of people on board the small
plane Sunday evening. The plane is a single-engine Mooney that departed from
Westchester County Airport in New York. The accident took place in
Gaithersburg, a city of 69,000 people around 24 miles or 39 kilometers
northwest of Washington DC. The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately clear.
The agency will investigate the incident along with the National Transportation
Safety Board.