Washington: A passenger aircraft carrying 64 people collided in midair with a U.S. Army helicopter on Wednesday night while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport just outside of Washington, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and reports.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter as it was nearing a runway at around 9 p.m. PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, having departed from Wichita, Kansas.

With a search-and-rescue operation underway in the river, the exact number of casualties remains unknown. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on social media that there are "fatalities."

President Donald Trump issued a statement saying, "I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise."