The American Airlines flight crash has presumably ended in horrific tragedy.
After American Eagle Flight 5342—a plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members from Wichita, Kansas—had a mid-air collision with a US Army helicopter Jan. 29, and subsequently crashed into Washington D.C.’s Potomac River, the city’s fire chief John Donnelly said everyone aboard is “feared dead.”
Donnelly stated that the crash has switched from a rescue to a recovery protocol, per NBC News, noting that 27 bodies have been recovered from the scene of the plane crash, as well as one from the helicopter’s crash.
“I’m confident that we will do that,” Donnelly said during a press conference of locating the rest of the deceased, noting that the next phase of the operation will be helmed by the National Transportation Safety Board, “and that will take us a little bit of time, though. It may involve some more equipment.”
Due to the crash—which left the American Airlines jet split into several pieces—Reagan National Airport is currently closed as of publishing time and will reopen at 11 a.m. local time, as recovery efforts continue nearby.
