Human remains have washed up on Potomac River after an American Airlines plane collided with a Blackhawk helicopter in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The horror crash near Ronald Reagan National Airport has led to a massive search and rescue operation and already 30 bodies are believed to have been recovered.

The plane was attempting to land when it smashed into the helicopter that was believed to be on a training mission.

Emergency response teams including Washington, DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, asses airplane wreckage in the Potomac River
Emergency response teams including Washington, DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, asses airplane wreckage in the Potomac River (Image: Getty Images)

Debris from the crash and human remains are reported to have washed up on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, according to CBS News.

It is believed there were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard the flight at the time of the incident. The helicopter is reported to have been carrying three army personnel.

Rescue crews are having to battle the dark in their hunt for survivors, with search lights illuminating the Potomac river.

Emergency response teams including Washington, DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, use a commercial cruise boat as an operational command center to respond to helicopter wreckage in the Potomac River
Emergency response teams including Washington, DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, use a commercial cruise boat as an operational command center to respond to helicopter wreckage in the Potomac River (Image: Getty Images)

However, the temperatures are cold this morning and anyone who enters freezing water could go into hypothermia within 20 to 30 minutes, according to the US National Weather Service.

Ice is reportedly forming on the river as temperatures are expected to plunge below freezing amid a desperate rescue effort to find survivors of the Washington plane crash.

The official temperature for Washington is 7C, though forecasters believe it will plummet as the night wears on.

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