A passenger plane carrying 64 people has collided midair with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.
The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at around 9pm on Wednesday (02:00 GMT Thursday), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
American Airlines confirmed there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft. The US army confirmed that its helicopter was carrying three personnel.
There was no immediate word on casualties from officials who held a press conference on Thursday at the airport, though Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas painted a bleak picture.
“When one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow” he said.
Muriel Bowser, the Mayor of Washington DC, said multiple fire and police agencies from across the Washington region were involved in a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, where the aircraft and the helicopter reportedly both crashed after their collision.
Washington fire chief John Donnelly told reporters that conditions were “extremely rough” for the roughly 300 responders working on the rescue operation, with high winds, low night-time visibility, cold weather and murky water.
“We’re operating under a unified command. Everybody’s together,” he said.
All takeoffs and landings from the airport have been halted. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the site of the collision.
