Washington Jet-Chopper Midair Collision: All 64 Passengers Feared Dead, 28 Bodies Recovered

Washington: As morning dawned in the American capital after a disastrous night, hopes of rescuing anyone from the scary collision between a passenger aircraft and helicopter were vanishing quickly.

American Airlines flight 5342, which was arriving at Reagan Airport, collided with an Army helicopter, after which both aircraft crashed into the freezingly cold Potomac river around 9 pm local time (7.30 am IST).

The American Airlines flight was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members including the pilot, while the military Blackhawk helicopter had three Army personnel on board.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday morning Washington time (6.30 pm IST), officials informed that there are likely no survivor from the devastating collision, while 28 bodies have been recovered from the river so far as search and rescue operations continue on an emergency basis.

“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors,” Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport. “We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”