A tragic accident over Washington DC has seen a passenger jet carrying 60 people collide with a military helicopter resulting in multiple fatalities.
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As the passenger jet flew into Washington DC it collided with the military black hawk helicopter. The two aircraft then plummeted down into the Potomac River. Emergency services on the scene have been trawling the freezing water, pulling bodies from the wreckage.
The collision happened near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 21:00 local time. The search has continued to find possible survivors of the plane crash over Washington DC. Speaking to the BBC, a maritime rescue expert has said "There's ice in the river, it's particularly cold and that makes it very challenging to (rescue) crews. There's not a lot of time to really try and locate any survivors and rescue them because of the cold"
Confirmed as passengers on the two downed aircraft are three soldiers, and several members of the US figure skating community. The rescue teams are working tirelessly in the pitch-black to recover bodies from the submerged plane. It is currently sitting around 8 feet beneath the water.
Passenger Jet Collided With Military Helicopter While Preparing To Land In Washington
The flight, coming from Kansas, was scheduled to land at the Runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan National Airport. However, as the jet came to land, it collided with a military helicopter hovering over the Washington Airport.
The plane broke into multiple pieces, making the rescue of the 64 passengers harder in the freezing Potomac River. The two aircraft plunged into the river below, where rescue teams are searching through the wreck of the jet in the Washington winter.
Experts and other aircraft personnel are confused as to how a tragedy like this could take place. The airport is an incredibly busy one, and many safety regulations are in place. The plane should never have been able to get within proximity of the military helicopter to crash into it.
It has been confirmed that there were multiple members of the US and Russian figure skating teams aboard the jet that is now in the Washington Potomac River. Rescue teams are continuing to search in the frozen dark water for the remaining passengers. At this time, only 19 have been recovered.
