A massive search operation is underway after a passenger aircraft carrying 64 people collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, DC, according to aviation and defense officials.
About 300 first responders are searching the freezing Potomac River, where the aircraft crashed, the DC fire chief said.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS confirmed that fatalities have been confirmed and rescuers have not yet pulled any survivors from the water, a law enforcement source said.
The source says the plane is in pieces in the water and the helicopter is in the water nearby.
The airport will be closed until at least 11 a.m. ET Thursday, airport officials said.
The plane, American Airlines Flight 5342 with 60 passengers and four crew members on board, had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the airline. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter, which was on a training flight, officials say.
President Donald Trump called the crash “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented” in a post on Truth Social.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office dive team is assisting efforts to locate victims of Wednesday’s plane-helicopter collision in the Potomac River, a bureau spokesperson told CNN.
The FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team (USERT) is comprised of specially trained agents stationed across the country who are tasked with searching for and recovering submerged evidence.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed early Thursday that “both aircraft are in the water,” and that 64 people were aboard the American Airlines plane and three were in the military helicopter.
“The focus now is rescuing people, and that’s what all of our personnel are focused on,” Bowser said.
She declined to comment on recovery efforts or the investigation, which she said will be led by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Earlier, American Airlines told CNN 60 passengers and four crew members were on board the plane that crashed.
Airport CEO says there were people at the airport “who were there to pick up loved ones”.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter said Thursday that “we did have folks who were at the airport who were there to pick up loved ones,” adding that American Airlines has set up a center in the airport for friends and families.
“We’ve directed the families there, and there are counselors there to work with the families.”
Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran described the crash as “a very personal circumstance” for Kansans during a press conference early Thursday.
“We’re going to know people who are on this flight, know their family members,” Moran said.
He pledged to support rescue efforts and ensure Congress is “engaged in what needs to take place” as the investigation unfolds.
Moran said he has spoken with the National Transportation Safety Board, the White House, the Department of Defense and American Airlines, adding, “there is all of us pulling together for the best outcome possible.”
CNN
