Plane crash near Washington DC: what we know so far

A regional passenger jet with 64 people onboard collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River while approaching Ronald Reagan national airport on Wednesday night.

The American Airlines flight, operated by PSA Airlines as American Eagle Flight 5342, had flown from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided with a Black Hawk helicopter that was on a training flight.

Media sources have reported that 19 bodies have been recovered so far from the Potomac, where both aircraft fell. About 300 first responders were working on the rescue operation. The Potomac is about 2.4 metres (8ft) deep.

The helicopter was believed to be carrying three soldiers, with no senior army officials onboard. The Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Russian state media reported that the figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were onboard. The pair, who were married, won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994 and lived in the US. The governing body for figure skating in the US confirmed that athletes, coaches and family members were returning from a national development camp held in conjunction with the US championships in Kansas.

Temperatures in the area were below freezing, and any length of time spent in the water would be extremely dangerous for anyone who survived the initial incident, with hypothermia setting in quickly.

Inflatable boats and dive teams searched the site, with helicopters circling above, and large floodlights illuminating the scene from the shore. The operations were made more difficult by strong gusts of wind as well as the cold.