Passenger plane, military helicopter collide near Washington airport while local authorities confirm 64 passenger on board crashed plane
WASHINGTON: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Jan 30th, 2025) The rescuers have recovered 18 bodies so far from Potomac river after passenger plane crashed with military helicopter at Reagan airport near Washington on Thursday.
The local media reported that search operation is underway for more bodies. They reported that 64 passengers were on board the crashed plane.
The American airline flight from Wichita, Kansas, had arrived in Washington when the aircraft met with an accident near the runway over the Potomac River.
As per FlightRadar, the incident occurred at 5:48pm local time when the aircraft was traveling at a speed of 166 km/h.
The latest reports said that Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft has a seating capacity of 78 passengers.
After colliding with the military helicopter, the passenger plane crashed into the Potomac River. Following the accident, the divers were deployed in the river for rescue operations.
The US authorities confirmed that there were 64 passengers on board the crashed plane.
Upon receiving reports of the incident, the rescue operations commenced immediately, and recovered 18 bodies from the river so far while search for more is underway.
According to US military officials, three personnel were aboard the military helicopter that collided with the passenger plane.
The US media reported that the Black Hawk military helicopter involved in the collision was on a training flight.
Following the crash, all flights at Reagan National Airport have been suspended.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been briefed on the aviation accident.
Trump said he has been fully informed about the air crash and is closely monitoring the situation. He assured that the further details would be provided as they emerge.
