64 Passengers and 3 Crew Involved in Washington, D.C. Air Disaster

At least 30 bodies have been recovered after a passenger plane and a military helicopter crashed into a river in Washington, D.C., in mid-air. This information was reported in a CBS News report on Thursday (January 30).

It said emergency rescue teams have recovered at least 30 bodies from the accident site so far.  A helicopter and a passenger plane collided in Washington, D.C., around 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The plane and helicopter later crashed into the icy Potomac River.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that both the helicopter and the plane had crashed into the Potomac River in a statement early Thursday (January 30). She said 64 people were on board the passenger plane and three on the military helicopter.

 

“Rescue crews quickly arrived at the scene upon receiving the report of the accident. The crashed aircraft was later found in the river,” said John Donnelly, chief of the District of Columbia (DC) Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, at a press conference.

 

Responding to a question about casualties, he said, “It is not yet clear whether there are any survivors. However, rescue workers are working to search for casualties.” Donnelly added, “The first and foremost task of rescue workers is to find survivors. But they will also work with the National Transportation Safety Board to preserve evidence of the plane crash.”