By Rorisang Modiba
- A passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into a river near Washington after hitting a military helicopter in the air.
- Over 300 rescue workers battled dark and cold conditions to search for survivors in the Potomac River.
A passenger plane crashed into a river near Washington, DC, in America on Wednesday night after hitting an army helicopter mid-air.
American Eagle Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter above the Potomac River.
The helicopter had three crew members and was flying from Fort Belvoir in Virginia when the crash happened at 8.47pm.
The plane was about to land at Reagan National Airport when it hit the helicopter. A camera at the John F Kennedy Centre caught the explosion on film, showing smoke trailing through the night sky.
Emergency services rushed to the scene six minutes later and found the plane in the river.
More than 300 rescue workers, including divers and police boats, fought against dark, cold, and windy conditions to search for survivors.
The icy water meant anyone who survived the crash could freeze to death quickly from hypothermia.
By Thursday morning, officials still didn’t know if anyone had survived. They were still searching the river for survivors or bodies.
The plane had been flying from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC, when the crash happened.
The investigation into what caused the crash is still ongoing.
Pictured above: Parts of the plane in the river.
Source: @Taymur959