An airliner carrying 64 passengers crashed into the Potomac River following a mid-air collision with a military helicopter near Washington, DC.
The incident occurred as the American Airlines flight, en route from Wichita, Kansas, was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport at approximately 9:00 PM local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
Authorities have yet to confirm casualty details, but CBS, the BBC’s US partner, reported that police have recovered 18 bodies, with no survivors found so far.
According to a defense official, the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision carried three US Army soldiers. The helicopter is part of a battalion stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, though its origin at the time of the accident remains unclear.
Rescue efforts are being conducted by multiple federal and local agencies.
Debris, believed to be from the aircraft, was seen floating in the Potomac River, with reports indicating that the jet split in half upon impact. Eyewitnesses described seeing sparks and flashes during the collision.
Ari Schulman, a witness, recounted to NBC Washington how the situation quickly went from “completely normal” to “very, very wrong,” describing a “stream of sparks” under the jet followed by a “fireball.”
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, addressing a news conference, said she could only confirm the number of passengers aboard each aircraft. Emergency Chief John Donnelly noted that rescue teams are contending with cold temperatures, wind, and darkness in their search efforts.
“There is wind. There are pieces of ice in the water… and because there is not a lot of light, you are out there searching every square inch of space,” he said.
“These are very tough conditions for [rescuers] to dive in,” he added.
US President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on the terrible accident”.
“Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,” he said in a statement.
Takeoffs and landings have been halted at Washington National as emergency personnel respond to the incident, the airport wrote in a post on X.
Flights are being diverted to Dulles International Airport about 28 miles (45km) away, and the Washington DC metro system will stay open late to run extra trains to transport disembarking passengers into the city, said a spokesperson from the transport authority.
Federal aviation authorities and the US Congress have launched investigations into the incident.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the airline has sent a team to Washington DC and he too will be travelling there.