Rescuers save 2 people from plane dangling from power lines

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Rescuers in Maryland early Monday successfully extracted two people from a plane that was dangling 100 feet above the ground from a transmission tower in the city of Gaithersburg, authorities said.

The two unidentified people were removed from the plane shortly after 12:30 a.m. and were transported to local hospitals in serious condition, Scott Goldstein, chief of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said in a press conference.

Officials had earlier said the plane's pilot and passenger were uninjured and were in communication with the authorities, but Goldstein explained early Monday that along with hypothermia concerns, the pair suffered orthopedic and trauma injuries.

He added that they were able to assist the rescuers in exiting the aircraft, which limited the time needed to complete the rescue mission.

"It went very well," he said.

The plane became stuck in the power lines about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, when the aircraft struck the transmission tower at the intersection of Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road in Gaithersburg, north of Washington.

Goldstein said the first person was extracted from the plane about 12:25 a.m. followed by the second person 10 minutes later.

To get the people out of the plane, officials first needed to ensure that the transmission tower was grounded and then to secure the plane to the structure, which was completed at 11:30 p.m. Sunday and 12:16 a.m. Monday, respectively, he said.

The crash had submerged some 85,000 people in the state in the dark, but power had been quickly restored following the rescue mission.

"Power in the county has been restored," Goldstein confirmed, adding two hospitals that were operating at limited capacity were back to normal.