WASHINGTON — Two people died following a single vehicle crash in Millersville, Maryland on Monday afternoon, according to Maryland State Police.

Around 3 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a crash on the ramp from southbound I-97 to Benfield Boulevard in Millersville, authorities said in a news release.

Police found an Acura in the woods off the roadway near the curve of the 10B exit ramp.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the white 2000 Acura RL 3.5 may have been traveling at a high rate of speed when negotiating the curve of the exit ramp, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, travel off the roadway, enter the woods and strike a tree, police said.

The driver, Franklin Benda, 46, and passenger David Limerick, 56, both of Edgewater, Maryland, were pronounced dead on the scene.

Troopers from the Glen Burnie and Annapolis barracks of the Maryland State Police responded to the crash.

The cause remains under investigation.