No one survived the mid-air collision near Washington, DC, officials say as recovery efforts get underway

Following a mid-air collision between an Army Black Hawk chopper and an American Eagle aircraft near Washington, DC, all passengers and crew perished.

Following a mid-air collision Wednesday evening at Reagan National Airport, American Eagle Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk chopper collided, killing all passengers and crew, according to officials.

On Thursday, DC Fire Chief John Donnelly stated at a press conference, “At this time, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”

“So far, rescue crews have retrieved 27 bodies from the aircraft and one from the helicopter,” he continued.

The American Eagle, operated by PSA Airlines, was traveling from Wichita to National Airport with 60 passengers and four crew members when it struck the military helicopter, which was carrying three service members on a training flight.

Authorities are now focusing on recovery operations rather than search and rescue as they attempt to locate all of the fatalities and look into what caused the incident.