UPD: Bodies of more than 30 people were retrieved from the river after the plane and helicopter crash near Washington, reports NBC citing sources
On the evening of January 29, near Reagan Airport in Washington, a landing American Airlines flight collided in the air with a military Black Hawk helicopter, and they fell into the Potomac River. On board the liner, which was flying from Kansas, were 64 passengers and crew members. There were three military personnel on the helicopter, which was on a training flight. There is no data on survivors, as reported by Reuters, rescuers have so far retrieved the bodies of 18 victims.
Among the passengers were figure skaters flying from Kansas, where the national figure skating championship was held. According to TASS, the 1994 world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly stated that the cold and murky water of the Potomac complicates the divers' search and rescue operations. It is expected that the temperature in the Washington area will drop below zero overnight.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegset published an email on social media from Heather Chairez, spokesperson for the United States Joint Task Force in the National Capital Region, stating that the helicopter was on a training flight, and announced the start of an investigation.
According to documents, the crashed Bombardier CRJ700 plane was built about 20 years ago.
Despite much remaining unclear about the crash early Thursday, President Trump speculated on its cause and began assigning blame, notes The New York Times. In his social media post shortly after midnight, he called the incident a «bad situation that seemingly could have been prevented».
Photo: The New York Times