Icy water and wind: Weather conditions complicate search for Washington plane crash victims

Ice water and wind: weather conditions complicate the search for victims of the plane crash in Washington Anzhelika Baibak

In Washington, D.C., late Wednesday evening, January 29, a passenger plane and a helicopter collided, after which both planes fell into the Potomac River. Now special services are trying to find the bodies of the victims of the plane crash, but the process is complicated by weather conditions.

This was reported by 24 Channel with reference to NBC News.

Search for victims in Washington difficult

According to media reports, about 20 bodies of the victims have already been recovered after the accident. The search is currently ongoing, but is complicated by weather conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, the water temperature in the Potomac River, where the Bombardier CRJ700 and military helicopter crashed, is 45 degrees Fahrenheit (about 7 degrees Celsius). However, it can drop to 32 degrees (0 degrees Celsius).

There is currently no wind in Washington, with wind speeds of about 2 meters per second, but the weather will worsen by the evening. Rain with wind gusts of up to 12 meters per second is expected on the evening of January 30.

All takeoffs and landings at Reagan National Airport have been suspended after a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter. It is stated that the airport will be closed until at least Friday at 5 a.m.

The moment of the collision of an American Airlines regional passenger jet with an Army Black Hawk helicopter was captured on video. It shows how the two planes crashed and fell into the river.

It is unknown how many people were on board. According to media reports, there could have been 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board the plane, and 3 soldiers on board the helicopter.