Small plane crashes into power lines in Maryland

A pilot and a passenger were rescued after a small The plane crashes into power lines in Maryland.

A pilot and a passenger were trapped in a small plane for almost seven hours after it crashed into power lines in the Montgomery County, Maryland, on Sunday. Both were saved

The pilot was identified by Maryland State Police as Patrick. Merkle, 65, of Washington. The passenger isJan Williams, 66, of Louisiana, state police said in a news release.

WATCH: A Pepco spokesperson speaks about rescue efforts after a plane crashed into a power transmission tower in Montgomery County, Maryland. https://t.co/iNourBsgNnpic.twitter.com/33Bzyf4gto

— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) November 28, 2022

Both were taken to hospital with serious injuries, including injuries. orthopedic, shock and hypothermia, Goldstein said.

Rescue operations began at 5:30 p.m. local time when Crews responded to reports that a small plane had hit power lines, said Pete Piringer, chief spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department.

🚨#BREAKING: A small plane has crashed into a high voltage powerlines

📌#Montgomery| #Maryland

Dozens of emergency crews are responding to a small aircraft that has crashed into high voltage powerlines, causing massive power outages too 80,000 people in Montgomery county MDpic.twitter.com/pZIo9DDvVB

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 27, 2022

The first person was removed from the aircraft at 00:25 hours and the second about 10 minutes later.

Goldstein said the department communicated regularly with the occupants. of the plane during the rescue and moderated the use of their cell phones to conserve battery power.

About 120,000 customers were without power Sunday by the night after the accident, but that number had dropped to less than 1,000 customers Monday morning, according to utility Pepco.

WATCH:#BNNUSReports

Two people aboard a small plane that collided with power lines in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Sunday evening are being treated for serious injuries as the investigation into the crash continues. pic.twitter.com/wFKbplwFkX

— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) November 28, 2022

The district previously said that more than 40 schools in the Montgomery County public schools and six central offices were without electricity, which affected services such as maintenance, buses and foods.