Washington, D.C. in the USA: Passenger plane and military helicopter in the water after collision - many deaths feared

DER SPIEGEL Washington, D.C. in the USA: Passenger plane and military helicopter in the water after collision - many deaths feared 1 hour • 2 minutes reading time Hundreds of emergency services are deployed in Washington after an airplane crash. A helicopter involved in the accident was apparently on a training flight. US President Trump expressed incomprehension about the course of the disaster. After the airplane crash in the US capital Washington, D.C., emergency services are working under very difficult conditions. The plane and helicopter crashed into the waters of the Potomac, said Mayor Muriel Bowser. It was a highly complex operation, said a representative of the fire department. It was cold and there was a strong wind. The water at the accident site was around 2.5 meters deep and murky. No fatalities have been officially confirmed so far. Bowser did not want to comment on this when asked at a press conference. It was a rescue operation, and hundreds of emergency services were deployed. However, Republican Roger Marshall, who represents the US state of Kansas in the Senate, said: "When one person dies, it is a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it is an unbearable grief." The passenger plane had taken off from the city of Wichita in Kansas. The Washington Post and CBS also reported that several bodies had been recovered. No survivors have been found so far. Investigations launched On Wednesday evening (local time), American Eagle Flight 5342 with 64 people - 60 passengers and 4 crew members - on board collided with the US military helicopter during landing approach. According to the military, the helicopter was on a training flight. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth released a corresponding statement from an army spokeswoman on X. Hegseth wrote of an "absolutely tragic" accident. The Ministry of Defense and the US military immediately launched investigations. US President Donald Trump said he had been informed of the "terrible accident". He also thanked the emergency services. He also expressed incomprehension as to how the disaster could have occurred. "The plane was on a perfect and routine approach to the airport," Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social. "The helicopter flew directly at the plane for an extended period of time. It's a clear night, the plane's lights were shining, why didn't the helicopter fly up or down or turn around?" Trump also asked why the control tower did not tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if the crew had seen the plane. "This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. Not good!"