Asked at a news conference how many people have been rescued or recovered, Washington DC’s mayor Muriel Bowser said she could only confirm the number of passengers on each aircraft.

The city’s emergency chief John Donnelly said rescuers are battling cold, winds and darkness in the water.

“There is wind. There are pieces of ice in the water… and because there is not a lot of light, you are out there searching every square inch of space,” he said.

“These are very tough conditions for [rescuers] to dive in,” he added.

US President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on the terrible accident”.

“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,” he said in a statement.

Takeoffs and landings have been halted at Washington National as emergency personnel respond to the incident, the airport wrote in a post on X.

Flights are being diverted to Dulles International Airport about 28 miles (45km) away, and the Washington DC metro system will stay open late to run extra trains to transport disembarking passengers into the city, said a spokesperson from the transport authority.

Federal aviation authorities and the US Congress have launched investigations into the incident.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the airline has sent a team to Washington DC and he too will be travelling there.