WASHINGTON, January 30. /TASS/. The United States Figure Skating (USFS) association has confirmed that some of the country’s skaters were on board the passenger aircraft that crashed near the country’s capital on Wednesday night and expressed its condolences, the federation’s press office said in a statement.
"US Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.," the statement from the USFS reads. "These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas."
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available," the statement added.
On the evening of January 29, an American Airlines passenger plane and a US army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. The plane en route from Wichita, Kansas was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.
At least three servicemen were aboard the helicopter. Following the collision, the plane crashed into the Potomac River, where a search and rescue mission is underway. According to media reports, at least 30 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 the crashed plane. A source told TASS that a Russian figure skating pair, world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were also on board.