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31 Jan, 05:30

At least 40 bodies recovered from site of Washington, D.C. plane crash — TV

Investigators think that they have recovered all the remains that can be safely retrieved, but that there may be more in a tail part of the fuselage out of reach for divers, the source said

WASHINGTON, January 31. /TASS/. First responders have retrieved 40 bodies of those killed after a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided midair in the US capital, CBS reported, citing security officials.

Some bodies have washed ashore, a law enforcement source told the TV channel on Thursday. Investigators think that they have recovered all the remains that can be safely retrieved, but that there may be more in a tail part of the fuselage out of reach for divers, the source said.

An American Airlines passenger plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening local time. The passenger plane traveling from Kansas was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and there were at least three US Army soldiers on board the military chopper. The passenger plane split apart and came to rest in the Potomac River. The authorities no longer expect to find potential survivors.

Members of the US junior figure skating team were on board the passenger plane that crashed in Washington, D.C., The Wichita Eagle reported. Russia’s 1994 world champions in figure skating, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as Inna Volyanskaya, who won a bronze medal at the 1980 USSR Championships, were on board the passenger plane that crashed in Washington, D.C., a source told TASS.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that there were Russian nationals among those killed. The US has already been in contact with Russia and will facilitate the transfer of their remains home, he said.