Dozens are feared dead following a deadly collision between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and US Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the cold waters of the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport, on Wednesday night.
While officials have not yet confirmed the number of casualties, the number is expected to be higher. An extensive search operation is underway. The airline confirmed that Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when the collision occurred.
Defense officials claimed that the US Army helicopter was carrying three soldiers on a training mission at the time of the crash.
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U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the flight originated, suggested that all passengers on board may have perished. Rescue officials have so far pulled 28 bodies from the wreckage.
“We are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point I don’t believe we are going to find any survivors,” Fire and EMS Chief Fire John Donnelly said in a news conference this morning.
“We will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones,” Donnelly said.
The husband of one of the passengers onboard told the media that he spoke to his wife 20 minutes before landing.
“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes. The rest of my texts didn’t get delivered and that’s when I realized that something might be up,” he said.
I’m just praying that somebody’s pulling her out of the river right now, as we speak. That’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God,” Raza told WUSA9. No survivors have been rescued so far, says the officials. Officials, however, are confident to pull the bodies of all the victims.