Washington, US: Residents near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport shared their harrowing experiences after witnessing the passenger jet-helicopter collision on Wednesday night.

The woman, Sarah Fishel, told CNN that she heard loud sirens and quickly ran to the roof of her building. “I ran to the roof and immediately saw the response.”

Roy Best, who lives in a building adjacent to the airport, also witnessed the collision. He was on his rooftop when he heard a loud noise. “It was just a loud noise. So I turned to the side, and I saw a big spark. And then just something falling. Because it was kind of dark. Couldn’t really tell what it was. I didn’t know if it was a firecracker or what,” Best told CNN. 

A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. A video emerged following the incident also showed the collision.

There was no immediate word on casualties, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington have been halted.

In a post on social media, American Airlines acknowledged reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide further details once available.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred around 9 pm EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway. It occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.

Investigators will try to piece together the aircrafts' final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.

President Donald Trump says he’s been briefed on the ‘terrible accident’ at Reagan National Airport.

In a statement late Wednesday, Trump thanked first responders for their “incredible work,” noting that he was “monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”

“May God Bless their souls,” he added.

The airport confirmed that emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield,” while search operations continued in the adjoining Potomac River. Multiple helicopters from the U.S. Park Police, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, and U.S. military were deployed, with fireboats also assisting in the response.