An American Airlines regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River late Wednesday night.
Both the passenger plane and the helicopter crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport, sending emergency responders into immediate action.
The Black Hawk helicopter had an unspecified number of military personnel on board. Authorities fear that all 67 people on the jet may have perished, while the status of those aboard the helicopter remains uncertain.
Rescue teams are working tirelessly in frigid conditions to locate survivors. The Potomac River, notorious for its strong currents, is complicating recovery efforts.
Officials have confirmed that at least 18 bodies have been recovered so far, with hopes of finding more survivors fading by the hour.
The US Figure Skating association confirmed that several members of the skating community were on board the plane.
Three soldiers were also said to be aboard the ill-fated aircraft
Authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collision. Early reports suggest that poor visibility and possible miscommunication between air traffic control and the pilots may have contributed to the tragedy.
Eyewitnesses described seeing a “fireball” in the sky before the aircraft plummeted into the water.
“It was like something out of a nightmare,” said a local fisherman who was near the river at the time of the crash.
“The explosion lit up the sky, and then everything went dark again.”
The White House has issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of those affected.
Watch the moment the disaster happened here.
