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30 Jan, 13:34

Rescuers recover bodies of 28 killed in plane crash over Washington — authorities

John Donnelly also said that the authorities will work on finding all bodies and handing them over to the families and friends

WASHINGTON, January 30. /TASS/. The bodies of 28 people have been recovered from the Potomac River at the site of the plane crash in Washington, D.C., Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a press conference.

"We are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," he said. "At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter," the DC official pointed out.

Earlier, the NBC TV channel reported that the bodies of more than 30 victims of the plane crash had been recovered from the water.

Donnelly also said that the authorities will work on finding all bodies and handing them over to the families and friends.

On the evening of January 29, 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; at least three servicemen were aboard the helicopter. After the collision, the plane crashed into the Potomac River, where a search and rescue mission is underway. According to media reports, at least 19 bodies have been recovered from the river, with no survivors reported.

According to The Wichita Eagle newspaper, members of the US junior figure skating team were on board. A source told TASS that Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov, and Inna Volyanskaya were on board the crashed plane.