A passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into Washington’s Potomac River on Wednesday after colliding midair with a military helicopter, prompting a massive search and rescue operation. US media reports indicate that multiple bodies have been pulled from the dark, near-freezing waters.
Divers, visible under powerful lights, scoured the wreckage of both aircraft in the snow-lined Potomac River as the operation continued throughout the night. Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly stated that about 300 emergency crew members were working in “extremely rough” conditions and offered little hope of finding survivors.
“We’re going to be out there as long as it takes,” said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser during a press briefing.
CBS News reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered, while NBC stated that more than a dozen were found. Among those aboard the flight were several athletes, coaches, and officials from US Figure Skating, as well as Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 World Pairs Championship. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed their presence on the jet, saying, “We unfortunately see that these sad reports are being confirmed. Our other fellow citizens were there.”
The Bombardier aircraft, operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, was approaching Reagan National Airport around 9:00 pm (0200 GMT) after departing from Wichita, Kansas, when it collided with the helicopter. US Army officials confirmed that the helicopter was a Black Hawk carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
Witness Ari Schulman, who was driving home at the time, described seeing “a stream of sparks” in the sky. “Initially, I saw the plane, and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land,” he told CNN. “Three seconds later, it banked all the way to the right… I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it. It looked like a Roman candle.”
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