This is what is known about the crash in Washington D.C. - and this is not

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• A passenger plane and a US military helicopter collided in mid-air near Washington and crashed into the Potomac River.
• Rescue workers are searching for survivors and, according to media reports, over a dozen bodies have been recovered so far.
• The cause of the accident is unclear, but there are no indications of criminality or terrorism.

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What we know

After the plane crash in Washington, emergency services search for survivors in the Potomac River.

A passenger plane collided in mid-air with a US military helicopter at 9 pm local time on Wednesday evening near Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA) as it was approaching to land over the US capital Washington.

The plane and helicopter crashed into the waters of the Potomac River.

According to the airline American Airlines, there were 64 people on board the plane: 60 passengers and four crew members.

CNN reported, citing an official from the Department of Defense, that there were three people on board the helicopter. It is not known who they were - according to the Ministry official, there was no "VIP" on board the helicopter.

According to media reports, more than a dozen bodies were recovered. This was reported by the broadcasters NBC and CBS, citing unnamed sources. Survivors have not yet been found. Rescue teams are working on and in the Potomac.

There are no indications of criminality or terrorism, according to the FBI, according to NBC News.

The Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane had taken off from the city of Wichita in Kansas.

According to the Pentagon, the helicopter was a UH-60 helicopter, a specific variant of the H-60 family. The UH-60 is a more specific designation within this military multi-role helicopter series. According to the Pentagon, the helicopter was on a training flight.

The temperatures are making matters worse - they have been well below freezing for the past few days and it only got warmer on Wednesday. The water in the river is freezing cold and partly still frozen.

DCA Airport suspended operations after the crash, reportedly until 11:00 local time (17:00 CET) on Thursday.

What we do not know

There is still no official information on the number of fatalities.

It is still unclear whether there are any survivors.

It is unclear how the accident could have happened.

It is also unclear where the helicopter took off from.

It is unclear whether the situation could have been prevented.

US President Donald Trump asked why the helicopter had not turned away or changed altitude.

Trump also asked why the control tower had not instructed the helicopter what to do.

Shortly after the accident, a video went viral on Platform X showing a large fireball in the dark sky. It was initially unclear whether this was actually the moment of the collision.