DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly announced in a press conference on Thursday that following a commercial airplane’s collision with a military helicopter, nearly 30 bodies had been recovered so far. Donnelly added that authorities do not believe there are any survivors from the crash.

“We have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” he added. “Despite all these efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”

“The district office of the medical examiner has the lead on reuniting these bodies and these people, with their loved ones,” Donnelly continued. “And we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them. and reunite them with their loved ones.”

Flight paths taken by American Airlines Flight 5342 and the military helicopter. (Fox News)

American Airlines CEO Robert Eisen called the collision “devastating,” saying that “we are all hurting incredibly.” He urged families concerned about loved ones to call 1-800-679-8215.

Eisen said it was still unknown why the military aircraft “came into the path” of the commercial aircraft, which was on a “normal approach” when the collision occurred. He added that the pilots were experienced, noting that the captain had almost six years of experience with PSA and the first officer had almost two years of experience.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.