A passenger airplane carrying 64 passengers and crew has crashed right into a river in Washington DC after it collided in mid-air with a US Military helicopter.
Eighteen our bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River to this point, the place search and rescue groups are scouring the waters in freezing temperatures, based on a police official who spoke to the BBC’s broadcast companion, CBS Information.
Authorities are investigating, and the close by Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport has grounded all flights.
What occurred?
At round 21:00 native time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, a PSA Airways jet working as American Airways 5342 collided with a US Military helicopter because it approached Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport, based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The passenger airplane, a Bombardier CRJ700, departed from Wichita, Kansas and was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew, American Airways stated.
The Pentagon stated the helicopter concerned was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
Three US troopers had been on board, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser stated. One other official stated it was on a coaching flight, and it belonged to B Firm, twelfth Aviation Battalion from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
A clip printed on-line, and reviewed by CNN, purports to seize the air site visitors management dialog within the moments earlier than the crash. A controller can reportedly be heard warning the helicopter in regards to the airplane, however receiving no reply. The audio has not been verified by the BBC.
The FAA stated it could examine the incident, along with the Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB).
Had been there casualties?
Officers in Washington DC have refused to verify studies on casualties throughout a press convention, saying they’re targeted on persevering with their rescue effort by way of the night time – which they describe as difficult.
Nevertheless, a police official on the scene informed CBS that 18 our bodies had been pulled from the water.
US Determine Skating stated “a number of members of our skating group had been sadly aboard” the flight. It stated this group comprised athletes, coaches and members of the family who had been returning residence from a improvement camp in Kansas.
Early studies in US media stated the passenger airplane might be seen cut up in half on the Potomac River, whereas the helicopter was the other way up within the water.
About 300 responders on rubber boats have been deployed to seek for survivors, stated Washington DC Fireplace and Emergency Companies Chief John Donnelly.
“The problem is entry, there’s wind, items of ice (on the water). It’s harmful and exhausting to work in,” he stated.
What are eyewitnesses saying?
Ari Schulman informed NBC Washington that he noticed the airplane crash whereas driving on the George Washington Parkway, which runs alongside the airport.
He stated the airplane’s strategy appeared regular, till he noticed the plane financial institution exhausting to the appropriate, with “streams of sparks” operating beneath, illuminating its stomach.
At that time, he stated he knew that it appeared “very, very mistaken”. Having seen airplane landings there up to now, he stated a airplane’s underside mustn’t have been seen at midnight.
The sparks, he stated, resembled a “large roman candle” and went from the airplane’s nostril to its tail.
Jimmy Mazeo stated he noticed the crash whereas having dinner together with his girlfriend at a park close to the airport.
He recalled seeing what appeared like a “white flare” within the sky. He stated planes flying into Ronald Reagan Airport appeared to have been flying in “irregular patterns”.
Mr Mazeo stated he didn’t suppose a lot of what he noticed till emergency providers began arriving on the scene.
What are US officers saying?
President Donald Trump stated he had been totally briefed on the the “horrible accident” and that he was monitoring the state of affairs intently.
“Might God Bless their souls,” he stated in an announcement. “Thanks for the unbelievable work being achieved by our first responders.
On his TruthSocial social media account, he has additionally raised questions on how the incident might have occurred, writing: “This can be a unhealthy state of affairs that appears prefer it ought to have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Vice-President JD Vance requested for prayers for individuals who had been within the incident.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whose appointments had been only in the near past confirmed, additionally stated they had been monitoring the state of affairs.
Requested if flight paths close to Ronald Reagan airport can be modified after the incident, Duffy stated “we are going to take applicable motion if mandatory”. He added: “There shall be a evaluation of what occurred right here tonight.”
American Airways CEO Robert Isom expressed his “deep sorrow” in regards to the collision in a video which has been posted to the airline’s web site.
That was echoed by Roger Marshall, a US senator representing Kansas, the place the airplane had travelled from. He described a “heartbreak past measure”.