Washington, Jan 30 (EFE).- Rescue divers were scouring Washington DC’s cold Potomac River in the dark into early Thursday to find those on board a passenger plane and a military helicopter that collided on Wednesday evening.
Rescue teams search the Potomac River after a commercial airplane reportedly collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, USA, 29 January 2025. EFE/EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 pm local time,” the FAA said. “PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.”
American Airlines said in statement that “there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.”
This was confirmed later in a press conference by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who added that three people had been on board the army’s Black Hawk helicopter at the time of the incident.
The helicopter had been operating out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, and was on a training flight, the military said.
Bowser would not comment on whether any passenger had been found so far, nor on any casualties.
Some 300 emergency units with fire trucks, police cars and ambulances, as well as rescue boats and diving units had been deployed, Bowser said, with emergency services “working in very dark and cold conditions” to try to locate the passengers in the river.
Washington’s Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at the same press conference that divers were “searching both aircraft” in the water.
“It’s a highly complex operation. The conditions are extremely rough for the responders. It’s cold, they’re dealing with relatively windy conditions,” he added.
“The water is dark, it is murky – that is a very tough condition to be diving in,” Donnelly said, adding that recovery efforts would take days.
Family members of the passengers were being spoken to by authorities at the airport.
“Certainly I speak for the people of Washington, 700,000 of us, who are extremely sorry for the families who are experiencing loss tonight,” Bowser said.
Rescue teams stage to help search the Potomac River after a commercial airplane reportedly collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, USA, 29 January 2025. EFE/EPA/SHAWN THEW
President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to question how incident happened, saying “this is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Earlier, he had been more measured in an official statement, saying that he had been briefed on the “terrible accident” and that he was monitoring the situation.
“May God bless their souls,” he said, thanking first responders.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon and the army are investigating the crash.
“Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” he wrote on X.
The airport will remain closed until 11 am on Thursday. EFE
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