American Airlines jet carrying 64 collides with Black Hawk helicopter near Washington airport

An American Airlines regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with a US Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

There were multiple fatalities, according to a person familiar with the matter, but the precise number of victims was unclear as rescue crews hunted for any survivors.

Three soldiers were on board the helicopter, a US Army official said. There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but all take-offs and landings from the airport were halted while helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene.

Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport, and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the collision site. At least a half-dozen boats are scanning the water using search lights.

US President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added: “May God Bless their souls”.