A passenger plane transporting 64 passengers and crews crashed into a river in Washington after colliding in the middle of the air by a US army helicopter.
Eighteen bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River so far, where the searches and rescue teams go water in freezing temperatures, said a police official who spoke with the BBC aired partner, CBS News.
The authorities are exploring, and the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington Airport landed all flights.
What happened?
On Wednesday around 9:00 pm Local Time (02:00 GMT), a PSA Airlines aircraft operating as an American Airlines 5342 collided with the US Army helicopter as he approached the National Airport of Ronald Reagan Washington, according to the Federal Air Force (FAA).
The passenger plane, Bombardier Crj700, left Wichite in Kansas and wore 60 passengers and four crews, American Airlines said.
Pentagon said that the helicopter involved was Sikorsky H-60, which he made from Fort Belvoira in Virginia.
The three US soldiers were on board, said Washington Mayor DC Muriel Bowser. Another official said he was on the training flight and belonged to B Company, 12th Airline Battalion from Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
The clip published online and examined CNN, seeks to catch a conversation about air traffic control in the moments before the collision. The controller can be heard by a warning helicopter on the plane, but does not receive an answer. BBC did not check the sound.
FAA said she would explore the incident, together with the National Transport Safety Committee (NTSB).
Are there victims?
DC Washington officials have refused to confirm the reports of victims during a press conference, saying that they are focused on the continuation of their rescue through the night – which they describe as challenging.
However, a police official at the scene said to CBS that 18 bodies had been pulled out of the water.
We have told us that “several members of our skating community were unfortunately on board.” It said this group consisted of athletes, coaches and family members who were returning home from the Kansas Development Camp.
Early reports in US media said that a passenger plane could be seen in half on Potomac River, while the helicopter was upside down in the water.
About 300 respondents on the rubber ships are expanded in search of survivors, said the head of the Washington DC, John Donnelly.
“The challenge is approach, there is wind, pieces of ice (on the water). It’s dangerous and hard to work,” he said.
What do eyewitnesses say?
Ari Schulman told NBC Washington that he saw the plane crash while driving on George Washington Parkway, which passes along the airport.
He said the approach of the plane looked normal, until he saw that the aircraft bank was hard on the right, with the “current sparks” moving below, illuminating the belly.
At that moment he said he knew he looked “very, very wrong.” After seeing planes in the past, he said that the underside of the plane should not be visible in the dark.
Sk, he said, reminiscent of the “giant Roman candle” and crossed from the nose of the plane to the tail.
Jimmy Mazeo said he saw a collision as he had dinner with his girlfriend in the park near the airport.
He recalled that he saw him look like a “white flash” in the sky. He said the aircraft flying at Ronald Reagan Airport flew in “irregular patterns”.
Mr. Mazeo said he did not think much about what he saw until the emergency services began to arrive at the scene.
What do US officials say?
President Donald Trump said he was fully familiar with a “terrible accident” and that he was closely monitored by the situation.
“May God bless their souls,” he said in a statement. “Thank you for the incredible work that our first liability was done.
In his account of the true social media, he also asked questions about how the incident could happen, writing: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. Not good !!!”
Vice President JD Vance asked for prayers for those who were in the incident.
Defense Minister Pete Hegsetth and the Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy, whose appointments were only recently confirmed, also said they were overseeing the situation.
Asked if the flight path near Ronald Reagan would change after the incident, Duffy said we would “take appropriate measures if necessary.” He added, “There will be an overview of what happened tonight.”
Executive director of American Airlines Robert Isom expressed his “deep sadness” about a collision in the video posted on the airline website.
This was echoed by Roger Marshall, an American senator who represented Kansas, where the plane traveled. He described “heartbeat beyond the measure.”
