A passenger plane carrying 64 people collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, which had three people on board, over Washington, D.C. A Pentagon official told CNN that the helicopter belongs to the US Army, News.az reports.
US officials reported no survivors of the plane crash, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.Circumstances behind emergency
- A Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided midair at about 9:00 p.m. local time on January 29 (2:00 a.m. GMT on January 30), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported.
- The passenger flight was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to American Airlines.
- CNN said the Black Hawk helicopter was on a training mission.
- The passenger plane broke apart upon impact with the military chopper and came to rest in approximately two meters of water in the Potomac River, The New York Post reported.
Casualties
- The passenger plane was carrying 64 people, including 60 passengers and four crew members, the airline said.
- At least three Army soldiers were aboard the helicopter, Reuters said, citing Pentagon sources.
- At least 19 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River following the crash, BNO News reported.
Officials react to the crash
- US President Donald Trump described the incident as a "bad situation" and said the "terrible" crash "should have been prevented."
- Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, and an investigation was immediately launched by the US Army and the Department of Defense, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
- US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Coast Guard was "deploying every available resource" to respond to the crash near Washington.
- There is no indication of criminal activity or terrorism involved, NBC News quoted a senior Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official as saying.
