No survivors expected after passenger jet collides with army helicopter in Washington

They're the two most terrifying words to hear after an accident:

"No survivors."

MSN.com is reporting that there are "no survivors expected after passenger jet collides with army helicopter while landing in Washington."

An American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members recently collided 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

Tragedy strikes

Unfortunately, authorities at the scene have indicated that nobody aboard either aircraft survived the crash.

"We don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," DC fire chief John Donnelly announced. "All of us are working together to search the area and find all victims."

The army Black Hawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time and was carrying a crew of three soldiers, according to officials. A total of 67 lives are expected to have been lost. Only 27 bodies have been recovered from the plane so far, along with one of the three from the helicopter.

The wreckage

The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The helicopter wreckage was also located, but icy weather conditions are apparently complicating recovery operations, which are still ongoing at the time of writing.

Authorities indicated that both aircraft were in standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility. Despite that, the incident caused all take-offs and landings from Ronald Reagan National Airport to be immediately halted. Reagan is one of three major airports near Washington, so authorities were working to reopen the airport as soon as possible.

Fans of figure skating will be especially upset about this horrific accident, as several American figure skaters were aboard the American Airlines flight. They were returning from a training camp. Reports indicate that two Russian figure skaters and coaches were also among the deceased.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that she would be deploying all available resources from America's Coast Guard for the search and rescue efforts.

"We are actively monitoring the situation and stand ready to support local responders," Noem said.

President Donald Trump was also made aware of the accident. He said that he had been "fully briefed on this terrible accident," and, referring to the passengers, said, "May God bless their souls."

Trump pledged his support to the families impacted by the crash, saying that "we're all searching for answers."

"We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas," Trump said. "We'll find out how this disaster occurred and we'll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."