WASHINGTON, January 30. /TASS/. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said that 64 people were in the passenger plane and three in the military helicopter at the time the crash occurred in the skies near Ronald Reagan Airport.
She provided these figures speaking at a press conference, though giving no details on the investigation to be led by the National Transportation Safety Board.
A Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter have collided midair near Ronald Reagan National Airport, a 10-15-minute ride from downtown Washington. The plane was performing an American Airlines flight from Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members on board. It crashed into the Potomac River, where a search and rescue operation is currently underway.
At least 19 bodies have been recovered from the river, BNO News reported. CNN stated that after an hour and a half of search efforts, no survivors were found. Earlier, the local NBC office reported that at least four people had been pulled from the river after the crash.
The US Army's Black Hawk military helicopter was performing a training flight, CNN reported. At least three servicemen were aboard the aircraft.