RICHMOND, Va. -- It was a somber day at the State Capitol in Richmond Thursday as lawmakers continued with their work in the 2025 General Assembly session while reacting to the deadly midair collision of a passenger jet and an Army helicopter in Northern Virginia.
"Just prayers to the families. This is a tough, tough day for Virginia and the nation," said Sen. Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William).
"It's an awful tragedy. We don't really have a lot of information yet, but my thoughts are with the families of the people who perished last night," added Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who represents the district that surrounds Reagan National Airport. "You see so many aircraft very low approaching the airport and it's normally a very safe operation, but it's a very busy one."
WATCH: NTSB holds news conference after deadly plane collision in DC: 'We will find out what happened'
Del. Adele McClure (D-Arlington) is the airport's representative in the House of Delegates and gave a speech during Thursday's floor session when she asked that the body adjourn this day in honor of the people who lost their lives.
"Mr. Speaker, it was really hard to find the words today, following that devastating incident that took place over my district last night," McClure said. "This morning, we were dismayed to learn that there were believed to be no survivors and the family and loved ones of those we lost weigh heavy on our hearts this morning, Mr. Speaker."
A moment of silence was also held during the morning meeting of the Aviation and Aerospace Caucus.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and those individuals that are have been found and not made it," said caucus co-chair Sen. Bill DeSteph (R-Virginia Beach). "This tragedy is something that the investigations will determine what happened a little later. I know the NTSB, FAA, everybody and their brother is involved. NASA has offered their safety team to assist the first responders who have already been there, working all night long in the water on the scene."
Along with offering condolences to the families and victims, lawmakers were also praising the various first responder agencies that quickly arrived on scene from Virginia, D.C., and Maryland.
This included firefighters from Prince William County where McPike has served as a volunteer. He said while the first responders would be facing physical challenges in the immediate aftermath, they will face mental ones for much longer.
"When you deal with such a traumatic incident like that, what those first responders have to deal with and see working as hard as they can to find any survivors and working through, unfortunately, the reclamation of bodies is just tremendously impactful," he said. "Something that they're never going to forget."
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who was back in Richmond in the afternoon, offered a prayer for all those involved during an event to raise awareness about sex trafficking.
WATCH: Virginia governor leads prayer after passenger jet and Army chopper collision
Youngkin visited Reagan Airport Thursday morning and said the state is offering every support it can to the NTSB, the agency leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
“The airport was eerily empty, and the eerily emptiness of the airport, I think, represented the profound statement of what had happened," Youngkin said. "And over in the runway, you could see people working, not only on the ground of the runway but also in the water. And you could also see the exhausted first responders who had been up all night searching."
The primary focus right now is on recovering those who died and supporting their families who have come to the area, Youngkin added.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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