Montgomery County police were providing security Thursday at a downtown Bethesda hotel as families of the victims of Wednesday night’s aircraft collision over the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport met inside with airline representatives and federal officials, according to police spokesperson Shiera Goff.
On Thursday evening, six county police cruisers lined Wisconsin Avenue in front of the Bethesda Metro Station near the Hyatt Regency Hotel at 7400 Wisconsin Ave.
As recovery efforts continue after the collision in Washington, D.C., between a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter, the families of passengers believed to have died in the crash were meeting at the Hyatt with representatives of American Airlines, the Red Cross and the National Transportation Safety Board, Goff said Thursday evening.
Sixty-seven people are believed to have died in the crash, according to District officials. As of Thursday night, Montgomery County officials have not said if any of the victims were residents. County Executive Marc Elrich said in a Thursday afternoon statement the collision was “one of the worst air disasters in [the] region’s history].”
“The impact will be felt by communities across the Washington metropolitan area,” Elrich said.
Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, the American Airlines passenger jet operating as American Eagle Flight 5342 and carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter carrying three soldiers near the airport, crashing into the river, according to officials.
Officials said Thursday evening that rescue teams had recovered more than 40 bodies from the wreckage.
Neighboring counties in Virginia are among those that have felt the impact of the crash, including Fairfax and Loudoun counties, where victims reportedly lived. Fairfax County Public Schools said in a statement Thursday that three students and six parents, two of which were current and former district staff members, were aboard the American Airlines passenger jet. Loudon County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence said in a letter to the school community Thursday that “multiple victims” were former students of the district.
The collision drew a heavy emergency response from local law enforcement and first responders. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews assisted the District’s fire department as it responded, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer.
At about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, Piringer posted on social media that MCFRS crews were providing mutual aid.
MCFRS Chief Cory Smedley told NBC 4 on Wednesday night the department was responding directly to needs requested by D.C. fire and rescue officials. Some MCFRS units were sent to fill in at District fire stations to handle standard calls so D.C. firefighters could respond to the crash, and MCFRS also sent a canteen and rehab unit to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in the District at the request of D.C.’s Fire and EMS Department Chief John Donnelly Sr.
“We want to help, but we have to be disciplined on how we approach that help,” Smedley said. “We have sent resources based on the resources that have been requested. This is a marathon. … We are ready to stand by with our water assets and other assets at their beck and call. Regionally, we are really prepared for an unfortunate event like this.”
Elrich said Thursday the county “stands ready to assist in any way necessary” as recovery efforts continue.
