A passenger plane carrying 64 passengers and crew has crashed into the Potomac River in the Washington DC area, after colliding in mid-air with a US Army helicopter.
At least 19 bodies have been pulled from the river so far, a law enforcement source has said. Figure skaters from the US and Russia are reportedly among those who were on board the aeroplane when the crash happened.
Search and rescue teams have been working through the night to scour the waters in freezing temperatures.
The nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is temporarily closed as authorities investigate what happened.
What happened?
At around 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342 collided with a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The passenger plane broke into multiple pieces and sunk several feet into the river, while the helicopter ended up upside down on the water, reports said.
The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, departed from Wichita, Kansas and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew, American Airlines said.
The Pentagon said the helicopter involved was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
Three US soldiers were on board, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said. Another official said it was on a training flight, and it belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
A clip published online, and reviewed by CNN, purports to capture the air traffic control conversation in the moments before the crash. A controller can reportedly be heard warning the helicopter about the plane, but receiving no reply. The audio has not been verified by the BBC.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident, together with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Were there casualties?
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CBS that at least 19 bodies have been recovered from the river – though officials have declined to confirm such reports, saying they are focused on their rescue effort.
US Figure Skating said “several members of our skating community were sadly aboard” the flight. It said this group comprised athletes, coaches and family members who were returning home from a development camp in Kansas.
Russian citizens were also on board, the Kremlin confirmed – after local media reported that ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on the plane.
About 300 responders on rubber boats have been deployed to search for survivors, said Washington DC Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly. “The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice (on the water). It is dangerous and hard to work in,” he said.