A catastrophic midair collision near Washington, DC, has left authorities scrambling to locate survivors as emergency teams conduct a massive search-and-rescue operation. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when a passenger aircraft, American Airlines Flight 5342, collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. The crash has resulted in confirmed fatalities, with search teams struggling to pull any survivors from the icy waters of the Potomac River.

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At a press conference held at Reagan National Airport, DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. provided an update on the operation. “At 8:58 p.m., the first units arrived on the scene and found an aircraft in the water and began rescue operations. This incident has grown,” Donnelly said. An alert was sounded at 8:48 p.m., just before the responders rushed to the site under dark, cold, and windy conditions.

The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342, which had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. The flight was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC. Meanwhile, the US Army Black Hawk helicopter, which was on a routine training mission, had three soldiers aboard. Authorities confirmed that the aircraft and helicopter collided midair, sending both craft into the Potomac River, where they are now submerged. Emergency responders are racing against time to locate potential survivors, but as of now, no survivors have been recovered.

Fatalities Confirmed

Fatalities have already been confirmed, according to law enforcement sources, though the exact number remains unclear. The crash site has been described as chaotic, with the plane in pieces scattered in the river and the helicopter nearby, also submerged. Due to the ongoing recovery efforts, Reagan National Airport has been closed, and airport officials have announced that the airport will remain shut until at least 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.

The news of the tragic accident quickly spread, and President Donald Trump addressed the situation in a post on Truth Social, calling the crash “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”

As rescue operations continue, authorities are focusing their efforts on recovering any remaining survivors and understanding the cause of the midair collision. The crash is expected to trigger an investigation from both aviation and military officials to determine what led to the deadly crash near one of the busiest airports in the United States.

(More details are awaited)

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