A regional jet and a U.S. military helicopter collided late Wednesday as the jet approached Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.

A Federal Aviation Administration statement said the jet, operated by American Airlines, was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching its landing runway when the collision with the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter occurred around 9 p.m.

Officials said three U.S. Army soldiers were on the helicopter, which was conducting a training flight. American Airlines said in a statement there were 60 passengers and four crew members on the flight.

Media reports cited sources as saying many were feared dead from the mid-air collision.

Authorities at an early Thursday briefing with reporters did not confirm any deaths from the crash, saying the focus at that time was on a rescue operation in the Potomac River adjacent to the airport.

When asked if there were any survivors, Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said, “We don’t know yet, but we’re working.”

Donnelly said crews involving about 300 responders were working in dark, difficult conditions, with frigid waters about 2.5 meters deep in the areas where the wreckage was located.

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas told the briefing, “We mourn with the families that lost loved ones.”

“All those lives are so valuable, and it is such a tragedy that we lost them,” Marshall said.

U.S. Figure Skating said several members of its community, including athletes, coaches and family members, were among the passengers on the plane.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said.

Video of the crash captured from a camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights converging before a fireball erupts. Data from the plane showed it was at an altitude of about 120 meters at the time of the collision.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform, “What a terrible night this has been.”

“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane,” Trump said. “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the situation “absolutely tragic.”

“Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” Hegseth said on X.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said he and a team from the company were traveling to Washington to provide assistance.

“This is a difficult day for all of us at American airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely now on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” Isom said in a video statement.

The last fatal U.S. passenger plane crash happened in 2009 in Buffalo, New York.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.