Authorities have confirmed the recovery of 28 bodies so far, including 27 from the plane and one from the helicopter.
\n washington
\nA devastating midair collision between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport has left more than 60 people feared dead, with no survivors expected.
\nAuthorities have confirmed the recovery of 28 bodies so far, including 27 from the plane and one from the helicopter.
\nThe crash occurred at approximately 8:48 p.m. Thursday night as the American Airlines regional flight, operating as American Eagle Flight 5342, was approaching the airport from Wichita, Kansas.
\nThe flight, a CRJ-700 operated by PSA Airlines, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, including ice skaters and their coaches.
\nBodies lie on the ground next to emergency vehicles, near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, outside Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. Photo: Reuters
\nAmong the passengers were Russian-born former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were returning from a skating event in Wichita.
\nThe US Army Black Hawk helicopter, on a training flight, was carrying three soldiers. Both aircraft were reportedly following normal flight patterns at the time of the collision, which took place under clear conditions, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
\nDistrict of Columbia Fire Chief John Donnelly confirmed that first responders faced \u201cextremely frigid conditions\u201d while attempting recovery operations in the Potomac River, where the wreckage was found.
\nIce, heavy wind, and low temperatures posed significant challenges throughout the night. He also thanked the many agencies involved in the efforts and stated that, at this time, authorities do not believe there are any survivors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Authorities have confirmed the recovery of 28 bodies so far, including 27 from the plane and one from the helicopter. washington A devastating midair collision between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport has left more than 60 people feared dead, with no survivors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-458637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n