41 bodies recovered after mid-air collision near US capital: Fire chief

Search crews recovered 41 bodies from the Potomac River after Wednesday's deadly mid-air collision near Washington DC, says city's Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said on Friday.

"We have recovered 41 sets of remains, and 28 of those victims have been positively identified; as of 6 a.m. this morning, next of kin notifications were made to 18 families," Donnelly told the reporters.

A total of 67 people were killed after a military helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and plunged into the Potomac River late Wednesday.

"We expect to recover all of the bodies," Donnelly said, adding the teams are still working.

He also said weather conditions may slow down the search efforts "slightly, but we are all the units out here, all the people working."

"I believe, for us, to recover the rest of the remains, that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water," he added.