Officials confirmed on Thursday morning that the rescue operation had turned into a recovery effort as they searched for victims following a collision involving an aircraft and helicopter just hours before over the Potomac River.

The collision occurred Wednesday evening as a commercial jet carrying 60 passengers, four crew members and a flight from Kansas approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor, said that there were likely no survivors.

He said, “That’s how it looks,” on Fox News.

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D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed to the media on Thursday morning that this rescue operation had now become a recovery effort.

At the briefing, Sen. Roger Marshall (a Kansas Republican) said: “When one person is killed, it’s tragic. But when many, many deaths occur, it’s unbearable sadness.”

American Airlines confirmed that 64 people were aboard the plane departing from Wichita in Kansas. U.S. Army officials confirmed that three people were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter departing from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

Jerry Moran, a Kansas senator, said that he had lobbied American Airlines for the addition of the direct flight to Reagan National from Wichita in Kansas about a year before and he often made the same trip.

“It’s true that Kansas and Wichita, in particular, will know the people on this flight – their families, someone — so it is both a personal situation as well as a response from an official source,” said Mr. Moran.

Divers from the federal and local agencies rushed into the Potomac River in the freezing cold to look for survivors.

An officer of federal law enforcement said that “a few bodies” had been pulled from the murky, icy river with chunks floating in the surface water and strong winds.

John Donnelly, D.C. Fire and EMS chief, said that the 300 first responders present at the site were in a difficult situation to rescue.

ABC reported late on Wednesday that three emergency care providers from Washington — Inova Fairfax Health, MedStar Health, and VHC Health — had not yet received any patients following the crash.

“I was fully informed about the tragic accident that just occurred at Reagan National Airport. In a press release, President Trump stated that God bless their souls. “Thank you for all the hard work done by our first-responders. I will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as new information becomes available.

Chief Donnelly confirmed that the crash happened around 8:50 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a PSA Airlines Bombardier regional airliner and Sikorsky H-60 helicopter collided as the aircraft approached Runway 33 of Reagan National Airport.

The Associated Press reports that air traffic controllers had asked a passenger jet arriving at the airport if they could land on Runway 33, the shorter runway. The pilots replied yes. The controllers cleared the plane for landing on Runway 33.

A controller of air traffic asked the helicopter whether it could see the plane arriving less than 30 second before the crash.

A few moments later, the controller made another radio call: “PAT 25, pass behind the CRJ.” Both aircraft collided within seconds.

The plane’s transponder radio stopped transmitting approximately 2,400 feet from the runway. This is roughly where the river meets the river.

The tower began immediately diverting other aircraft away from Reagan.

Robert Isom, American Airlines’ CEO, said in a video about the crash: “I would like to express my deepest sorrow for these events.” This is a very difficult day for us all at American Airlines. Our efforts are now focused on the needs and wants of our passengers, crew, partners, first-responders, as well as their families and loved one.

Initial reports indicated that emergency crews were called to the scene of a regional airliner sinking in the Potomac River, near the airport. The Coast Guard, District authorities and officials from Virginia and Maryland lined the river on both sides during the ongoing search.

According to a source in law enforcement, mobile morgues were sent to the accident scene.

Hamaad Rasa told WUSA-TV that his wife was on the passenger jet when she texted him 20 minutes before landing. He claimed that his text back to her was not delivered.

Mr. Raza said to the station, “I just pray that someone pulls her out of the water right now while we speak.”

Sean Duffy, the newly sworn in Transportation Secretary, was present at the briefing and told reporters that he is closely monitoring the situation.

The FAA has announced that all flights at Reagan National will be halted from 11 am until further notice.