Crews lift large portion of airliner from river after Washington air disaster

Rescue and salvage crews with cranes pull up the wreckage of an American Airlines jet (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Salvage crews have removed a large portion of a commercial jet from the Potomac River near Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, five days after a mid-air collision killed 67 people.

Authorities said the operation to remove the plane will take several days and they will then work to remove the military helicopter also involved in the crash.