At least 18 bodies said recovered after Washington plane crash

At least 18 bodies have been recovered after a midair collision between a regional passenger jet and a helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, CBS News reports, citing a police official.

Authorities are still conducting a search-and-rescue operation in an attempt to find survivors in the water and around the crash site.

The US Army says the helicopter that collided with the passenger jet was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. A crew of three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official says. The helicopter was on a training flight.

Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily-restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.