NEW YORK, January 30. /TASS/. Members of the US junior figure skating team were on board a passenger plane that crashed in Washington, The Wichita Eagle reported.
According to the newspaper, the plane was carrying skaters and coaches who were returning from the US Figure Skating Championships held in Wichita (Kansas) on January 20-26.
US figure skater Luke Wang reported that the athletes were on board the plane. "Praying for all those on the flight from Wichita to DC. Among the passengers were skaters and coaches. Absolutely heartbreaking," he posted on his X page.
Earlier, a source told TASS that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the crashed plane.
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.