WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- Witness accounts of a large airliner in distress over the skies of Washington, D.C. prompted a massive emergency response on early Monday morning, officials said.

Continental Airlines flight 1559, a Boeing 737, was diverted and safely landed at Dulles International Airport after "losing an engine" and declaring an emergency, moments after it departed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

A spokesman for D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) said witnesses in the area reported seeing the plane with engine problems and feared it was about to crash, prompting a massive emergency response in the U.S. capital.

The response included dozens of emergency personnel, including mass casualty units. They were recalled after officials were notified that that plane had safely landed.

There were no immediate reports of injuries aboard Flight 1559.

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