A regional plane and a military chopper collided over the Potomac River Wednesday evening, leaving no survivors, according to officials.
At a press conference Thursday morning, Washington Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly announced that activities were transitioning from rescue to recovery.
The American Airlines flight, which collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk on its final approach to Reagan Washington National Airport in Alexandria, Virginia, just before 9 p.m. EST, was estimated to be carrying about 60 people.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” Donnelly said the crowd.
According to American Airlines, the flight was en route from Wichita, Kansas.
Approximately 300 emergency responders performed a multi-agency search and rescue effort.
In a statement delivered late Wednesday, President Trump said that the tragedy “should have been prevented.” He remarked that it was a clear night in Washington and questioned why the control tower did not notify the chopper that a jet was approaching.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy repeated such comments. During the press conference, he was asked about Trump’s remarks and said “absolutely” the tragedy could have been avoided.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed his condolences and stated that the company’s priority is to support all who were involved or affected by the tragedy, including its employees.
“This is devastating,” he stated. “We are all hurting incredibly.”
