Breaking: More bodies recovered after passenger jet collides with military helicopter in Washington DC
An American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board has crashed midair into a military helicopter while attempting to land at Reagan National Airport in Washington.
Emergency services in the city are searching the nearby Potomac River after the jet plummeted into the water just before 9pm on Wednesday night.
Officials have not said how many people died in the accident but have suggested that there may be no survivors. It is the first major commercial air crash in the US in 16 years.
The bodies of 19 people have been recovered, according to news outlet CBS, with divers reported to be exploring three debris fields.
Among the dead are several members of the US figure skating community, including athletes, coaches and their family members, the sport’s governing body has said.
They had been returning home from the National Development Camp, an advanced training camp for promising young athletes which is held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships, US Figure Skating said..
‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available,’ it added in a statement.
As many as 15 people on the flight may have been involved in figure skating, according to reports.
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board the plane, Russian state-run TASS news agency reported, citing a source.
Married couple Shishkova, 53, and Naumov, 56, won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994.
Their son Maxim Naumov, 23, a prominent American skater, was also reportedly on the plane.
He was recently placed fourth at the US Figure Skating Championships held in Kansas.
The airline has confirmed that there were 60 passengers and four crew members on Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to the capital when the collision happened.
The plane is said to have split in two and is in around seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and is unstable, according to the outlet.
Images captured at the scene show emergency officials on boats around what appears to be part of the fuselage and a wing jutting out of the river.
The Federal Aviation Authority said that the jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Runway 33.
Defense officials have confirmed that the Black Hawk was an Army chopper carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
Daily Mail
