A passenger plane collides with a military helicopter in Washington (USA)

A passenger plane from Wichita (Kansas) has collided with a United States army helicopter on the Potomac River, in the vicinity of the Ronald Reagan National Airport of Washington, which has suspended its take -off and landings.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a statement in which it has indicated that a regional plane of the PSA US airline that operated a flight from American Airlines has collided in the air with a military helicopter type ‘Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk’ while approximated runway 33 of the Reagan airport at 9:00 p.m. (local time, 3.00 Spanish peninsular time).

The Washington Police Department has indicated that, together with the city’s firefighters and other emergency services and agencies, it is carrying out a search and rescue operation in the river. “There is no confirmed information about victims at this time,” says a statement.

According to sources consulted by the American television network CNN, there were 60 passengers and four crew members on the plane, while there were three military in the helicopter.

The White House has issued a brief statement from the US President, Donald Trump, who says he has been informed “in detail about the terrible accident.” “May God bless your souls. Thank you for the incredible work that our emergency teams are doing. I am following the situation and I will provide more details as they arise,” he added.

His ‘number two’, JD Vance, has asked citizens to “pray, please, for all those involved in the collision in full flight.” “Please, pray for all those involved in the collision in full flight near the Reagan airport this afternoon. We are following the situation closely, but for now we hope that everything goes well,” he said through his profile on the social network X.

The Secretary of National Security, Kristi Noem, has announced that it is displaying “all the available resources of the Coast Guard for search and rescue tasks.” “We are actively monitoring the situation and we are ready to support local emergency services. We pray for victims and lifeguards,” he added.

The governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, explained that his emergency management team and the State Police, which have been informed “of the tragic accident that occurred tonight”, is using “broad resources to support search and rescue tasks.” “Emergency teams from all over the north of Virginia, DC and Maryland have quickly mobilized,” he said.

For his part, the president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has been “deeply sad” by the news. “Please, join me to pray for all those involved, as well as our lifeguards,” he said.

Ronald Reagan National Airport is located in the American County of Arlington, in the state of Virginia, and is the commercial airport closest to Washington. Virginia and Washington are separated by the Potomac River.