At least 60 people are feared dead after an American Airlines commercial jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair and crashed into the icy Potomac River near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
Search and Rescue Ongoing
Officials have yet to release an official death toll, but Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the flight originated, suggested that there were no survivors.
“It’s really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously. When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s unbearable sorrow,” Marshall said at a press conference on Thursday.
Jack Potter, CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, confirmed that first responders were still in “rescue mode,” while divers continued search operations in the frigid waters.
Aircraft and Passengers
According to American Airlines, the PSA Airlines Bombardier regional jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, flying from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C.
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter belonged to the U.S. Army and had three soldiers onboard from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, participating in a training flight, according to Joint Task Force spokesperson Heather Chairez.
Bodies Recovered
CBS News, citing a police official, reported that at least 18 bodies had been retrieved from the crash site. Reuters, quoting two sources, also confirmed that multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.
One of the Worst Air Disasters in 15 Years
The collision is now considered one of the deadliest air disasters in the United States in over 15 years. Authorities are still investigating how a passenger plane equipped with modern collision-avoidance technology collided with a military helicopter in a high-security airspace like Washington, D.C.
Rescue efforts are ongoing as emergency teams continue to search for possible survivors.