Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is asked about how many people have been rescued or recovered, and says she can only confirm that there were 64 passengers on the flight.

As she's pressed about comments that were made about families losing loved ones, she notes she didn't make such comments.

When pressed again, she moves on to another reporter's questions.

Authorities have not yet given an official casualty count, though the BBC's US partner CBS News has reported that police have said 18 bodies have been recovered.

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is next to speak.

He says when one person dies it's "a tragedy", but when many people die it's "an unbearable sorrow", a "heartbreak beyond measure".

He says he and fellow Kansas Senator John Moran are here "to say we care". "We wish there was more we could do."

He addresses "folks back home", saying now is the time "when we all have to join arms together and help each other out".

He says it's likely that more than 60 lives have been lost. Officials have not announced an official casualty count yet.

"We have really a serious and sad situation," says Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, who sits on the Senate subcommittee for aviation safety.

The US Congress will be investigating what happened, he says.

"We're praying that our responders are safe, and folks who are on that flight are recovered," Moran says, adding that he had flown that flight travelling from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington DC "many times myself".

"We're going to know people on this flight... This is a very personal circumstance," he says.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy thanks first responders, saying they have been working under very difficult circumstances in the rescue operation.

He says he spoke to President Donald Trump and his team. He says the Department of Transportation will offer full support to those on the ground, to the mayor and to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is going to be conducting the investigation into this crash.

John Donnelly, chief of the fire and emergency services department in Washington DC, says the rescue response is a highly complex operation and "the conditions out there are extremely rough".

He says that at 20:58 EST (01:58 GMT), first responders appeared at the scene and found an aircraft in the water.

There are currently 300 responders on the river, working off of boats from around the region.

Image source, Getty Images

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser starts the press conference, calling tonight's event "very tragic".

She says emergency services from across the Washington metropolitan region are "working diligently" in "very dark and cold conditions" to execute the rescue operation on the Potomac River after the plane crash.

Bowser says American Airlines officials are at the airport and are talking to families. The airline company's leadership is also on the way to DC.

Officials including Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser have appeared for a news conference at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

You can watch it live at the top of this page.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin says first responders from across Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland have mobilised in response to the crash on the Potomac River, which marks the boundary between DC and Virginia.

"I ask everyone to pray for the passengers, crews, their families, and brave first responders," he writes in a post on X.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from East Potomac Park

Image source, EPA

I’m watching more and more emergency boats with blue flashing lights travel south on the Potomac River toward the crash.

I just spoke with Michael Flores, who lives in nearby Alexandria, Virginia. He didn’t witness the crash, but heard about it on the news.

"I just gauged the impact of what happened and everything and decided to come," he says.

"My initial thought was more of just, 'How did it happen? How was it allowed to happen?'

"I know it's pretty strict to fly around here. And then the second thought was, 'Is everyone okay?' Hopefully people are okay."

Rachel Looker
Reporting from East Potomac Park

I’m at Hains Point in East Potomac Park - an island between DC and Virginia.

While driving here, I spotted dozens of emergency vehicles headed to the scene. One pick-up truck was towing a small emergency rescue life boat.

This is about as close as I can get to the crash. I’ve been able to approach a fence overlooking the Potomac River.

There are several reporters here with cameras as well as DC and Virginia residents who have come to view the crash scene.

One man I spoke with who lives in DC called it "shocking", adding that he flies out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport all the time.

Image source, American Airlines

The CEO of American Airlines has expressed his "deep sorrow" about the collision in a video which has been posted to the airline's website.

Robert Isom starts by briefing on a "serious accident" as he confirms details of the aircraft, the 60 passengers and the four crew members on board.

Isom says the airline is coordinating with local, state and federal authorities and "cooperating fully" with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

"Anything we can do, we are doing," Isom adds, noting that American Airlines has sent a team to Washington DC and he too will be traveling there.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegesth says tonight's events are "absolutely tragic".

In a post on X, he says search and rescue efforts are ongoing and an investigation has been launched immediately by the army and defence department.

"Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families," he adds.

Public officials, including Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, are expected to give a briefing at around 12:30 am EST (05:30GMT) on the crash.

Newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that she is deploying the US Coast Guard to help with search and rescue.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from East Potomac Park

I've been chatting with more people who have gathered at Hains Point to view the crash.

Camille DuBois biked here from her apartment about 15 minutes away. She says one of her friends is obsessed with planes and saw the crash on FlightTracker. He told her about it and she decided to come to the park.

"I read a lot about plane crashes because I have a lot of anxiety," she says.

DuBois has spent about 30 minutes at the park. She says she hasn't seen any damage and the scene has looked the same since she arrived.

"It's pretty crazy," she says.

Hamaad Raza says he was waiting at Reagan Washington National Airport for his wife, who was on board the American Airlines aircraft, when news of the crash reached him.

“She texted me that she was landing in 20 minutes," he told the local affiliate of CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

"I am just praying someone is pulling her out of the river right now."

Thomas Mackintosh
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

It has just gone midnight in Washington DC and 05:00 here in London - if you are just joining us let's bring you up to date with everything we know so far:

• An American Airlines commercial jet crashed into Washington DC's Potomac River after colliding with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in mid-air just before 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT)
• The flight had been travelling from Wichita, Kansas, and was on approach and seconds away from landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the crash happened
• American Airlines says 60 passengers and four crew members were on board the flight; while the US military has said three soldiers were on the helicopter which had been on a training mission from Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• Police divers and boats have spent hours searching the Potomac River for survivors - and have been hampered by freezing temperatures
• There has been no official confirmation on any casualties, but the BBC's US partner CBS have been told by police officials that 18 bodies have been recovered
• Authorities are expected to give an update soon from inside the airport
• President Donald Trump has issued a statement calling it a "terrible accident" and has thanked emergency workers for their efforts
• Investigations are being carried out by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, with the FBI also assisting

Police officials have told the BBC's US partner CBS News that 18 bodies have been recovered by search crews at the scene of the crash, and that no survivors have been found so far.

There has not yet been an official update from authorities on the number of casualties, but we are expecting a news briefing soon.

The media chief of Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, which is part of the US Army, tells CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that the Black Hawk military helicopter that was involved in the crash was on a training flight.

Heather Chairez adds that it belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

Two local residents tell local media of how they found out about the incident on the Potomac River.

One man, Jimmy Mazeo, says he noticed the plane flight patterns dispersing from their regular ones in the sky, and then saw what looked like a "white flare" in the sky.

"We thought they were shooting stars" he says, adding that he didn't "think much of it" until he saw the emergency services arriving at the scene.

Watch in full below.

The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, said two of their members were on board the flight that crashed into the Potomac.

"While we mobilize to support the families and crews directly affected by this incident, we are also sending strength to all first responders doing everything they can to bring survivors to safety," the association's president said in a statement.

"We ask the public to keep the families in your thoughts and respect efforts to get information to loved ones first as everyone clings to hope for survivors."

“Let us all stay focused on saving lives," the organisation added.