Bodies recovered from river after air collision above Washington DC


Dozens of bodies recovered from DC river after midair collision

Thursday, 30 Jan, 2025 0

Officials say there are no survivors from the American Airlines regional flight which crashed into the Potomac River in Washington DC.

It happened moments after the plane collided midair with a military Black hawk helicopter.

At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the freezing waters.

Recovery efforts are continuing.

The accident led to an immediate ground stop at nearby Reagan National Airport.

The regional jet, operated by American’s regional service partner PSA, was in the middle of its descent to the airport.

It took off earlier from Wichita, Kansas with 67 passengers and  crew on board.

The passengers included several members of the US figure skating team.

Hundreds of emergency personnel were on both river banks with a helicopter providing searchlight assistance.

Within about an hour, search divers were in the freezing waters.

The Army Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three people, whose bodies have been recovered by divers,

According to a rescue team source, the plane broke up into several pieces on contact with the water.

American Airlines’ CEO responded with a statement.

“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” Robert Isom said.

The airline has set up a helpline and for families with loved ones on the flight at 1-800-679-8215.

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said: “it would be premature to speculate on the root cause of this accident. We will wait for the National Transportation Safety Board to complete its work and use that information to help guide decisions and changes to enhance and improve aviation safety,” he continued.

This hasn’t stopped the President from blaming, without evidence, the previous administration’s DEI policies for the crash.

This is despite President Trump shutting down a key FAA aviation safety board just days ago.

The National Transport Safety Board expects to release a preliminary report within 30 days.



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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.



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