WASHINGTON, January 30. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has confirmed that Russian citizens were among those killed in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., and expressed condolences to their families.
"This has really shaken a lot of people, including people very sadly, from other nations, who are on the flight for the family members back in Wichita, Kansas, here in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States and in Russia, we have a Russia contingent of very talented people. Unfortunately, [they] were on that plane. Very, very, very sorry about that," Trump said during a briefing at the White House.
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.