According to John Donnelly, the head of the fire department and emergency services in Washington, it is unlikely that any of the 60 passengers and four crew members on board the passenger plane survived the mid-air collision with a US Army helicopter over the US capital on Wednesday (local time). “We’ve now reached a point where we’re transitioning from a rescue effort to a recovery effort” he said at a press conference on Thursday morning (local time). “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors of this accident.” As of the latest report, 27 bodies have been recovered from the passenger plane and one from the military helicopter.
The accident has been deemed the deadliest air crash in the US since 2001. In a departure from an initial plan, the Reagan National Airport is set to reopen by Thursday morning (local time). The passenger plane, operated by American Airlines, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas and was in the process of landing at the Reagan National Airport when the collision occurred. The plane appears to have broken apart and crashed into the Potomac River after the impact, while the helicopter, which was reportedly in a training flight, is believed to have been the cause of the accident.