WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The local Reagan National Airport will remain closed until at least 11:00 a.m. Thursday (GMT 1600) as search and rescue efforts continue through the night after a passenger plane and an army helicopter collided nearby, officials said early Thursday.

The other airport in the U.S. capital, Dulles International Airport, will operate normally, said Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority at a press briefing.

About 300 responders were involved in the search and rescue operation, which was a collaboration among multiple agencies at the federal and state levels, said John Donnelly, chief of the Washington D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

"It's a highly complex operation. The conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders," said Donnelly, adding that the search and rescue operation will continue through the night.

Officials at the briefing didn't provide an update as to how many bodies were pulled out of the Potomac River, into which the collided aircraft had crashed. No survivors have been found yet.

American Airlines, which operated the ill-fated passenger plane, said in a statement that 60 passengers and four crew members were on board. The airliner has set up a hotline for those with loved ones onboard the plane.

The airliner's CEO, Robert Isom, said in a video he would be heading to Washington, D.C., shortly, adding that the airliner was "fully cooperating" with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board "without pause" as the board was conducting an investigation into the incident. "We want to learn everything about today's events," he said. Enditem

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