Three US Army soldiers were onboard a BlackHawk helicopter. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the status of the soldiers was unknown, but added that no senior officials were on the helicopter.
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas told media, “It’s really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously. And I don’t want to forget the pilots and the flight attendants. When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow. It’s a heartbreak beyond measure.”
The FAA said the midair collision occurred around 9 pm EST when a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, smashed into a military Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to an airport runway. Helicopters from agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were being launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.
Coast Guard deploying ‘every possible resource’, says Homeland Security Secy
CBS News reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered so far. Two sources told Reuters multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.
All takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted.
US President Donald Trump said it is a bad situation which could have been prevented.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a clear night, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” Trump posted on X.
First Published: Jan 30, 2025 12:12 PM IST
