In a chilling incident, a plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a military helicopter a few miles away from the White House on Wednesday night. Horrific details are emerging as the rescue efforts are intensifying. Meanwhile, a man shared that his wife who was onboard texted him that “they were landing in 20 minutes” but when his replies were not delivered, it made him suspicious.
Talking to CNN, Hamaad Raza said that his wife one of the passengers. “I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” Raza told CNN affiliate WUSA.
“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes,” he said. Raza further said that his replies to his wife were not delivered which made him realise that something was wrong.
The incident occurred while the plane was landing at the Reagan National Airport near Washington prompting a search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. As of now, all takeoffs and landings have been halted at the airport.
US President Donald Trump expressed condolences referring to it as a “terrible accident.” Trump has been fully briefed about the incident and is monitoring the situation.
“Around 9 pm on Wednesday evening, emergency personnel at Reagan National Airport initiated their response to a crash between a passenger aircraft, identified by the FAA as American Eagle flight 5342, and a Sikorsky helicopter. Mutual aid from neighbouring agencies were called to assist, and takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted for the remainder of the evening,” the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority released a statement. “We will continue to post information as it becomes available.”
