At least 18 bodies have been recovered after a midair collision between a regional passenger jet and a helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing a police official. The passenger jet collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
All takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.