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30 Jan, 08:23

Coaches Shishkova, Naumov were aboard plane that crashed in Washington, D.C.

A Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan National Airport, a 10-15-minute ride from downtown Washington

WASHINGTON, January 30. /TASS/. World figure skating champions, Russia's national team coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane that crashed in Washington, a source told TASS.

"Our coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the crashed plane," the source said.

Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, are the 1994 World Championship winners. They also won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships in pairs skating, earned one silver and four bronze medals at the European Championships, and claimed victory at the International Skating Union Grand Prix Final for the 1995/96 season. After retiring from their competitive careers, Shishkova and Naumov transitioned to coaching and had been living in the US since 1998.

A Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan National Airport, a 10-15-minute ride from downtown Washington. The plane was operating an American Airlines flight from Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members on board. It crashed into the Potomac River, where a search and rescue mission is currently underway.

At least 19 bodies have been recovered from the river, BNO News reported. CNN stated that after an hour and a half of search efforts, no survivors were found. Earlier, the local NBC office reported that at least four people had been pulled from the river after the crash.

The US Army's Black Hawk military helicopter was performing a training flight, CNN reported. At least three servicemen were aboard the aircraft.