Authorities said early on Monday that two critically hurt passengers who were trapped aboard a small plane that crashed into high-voltage power lines close to Washington, D.C., and caused widespread disruptions, had been rescued.
“Both patients have been transported to local area trauma centers with serious injuries,” Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein stated in a press conference.
The plane went down in Montgomery Village, Maryland, on Sunday at around 5:30 p.m. (2230 GMT), in damp and foggy weather, according to the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service. About 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground, it became entangled in live power cables.
At approximately 11.30 p.m., according to Oldstein, crews were able to electrically ground the aircraft. Nearly 45 minutes later, it had been secured, and both patients had deplaned by 12.36 a.m.
According to Goldstein, the majority of the county’s power has been restored. According to him, two hospitals are once again operating at full capacity.
According to Pepco, a utility company serving the Washington, D.C., area, all customers who had been affected by the incident have now had access to electricity. The firm continued to analyze damage before starting repairs while stabilizing the area’s electricity infrastructure.
The Montgomery County, MD Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security reported that crews were still working to free the jet from the electrical lines.
The residents were being called by rescue personnel, according to Goldstein, who stated earlier.
The Mooney M20J plane, which took off from Westchester, New York, was scheduled to land at Montgomery Airpark, which is not far from the crash site, according to the FAA.
