Figure skaters on aircraft crashing into Washington, DC

Figure treasurers, their coaches and family members were passengers on an American Airlines jet who collided with an army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, and crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday.

American art skating said the skaters returned from a development camp that followed the US art skating over the weekend in Wichita, Kansas.

“American art skating can confirm that several members of our skating were unfortunately aboard the American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided by a helicopter last night in Washington, DC,” the US art skating race said in a statement. “We are destroyed by this indescribable tragedy and keep the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”

American art skating did not identify any of the members of its team on board the flight.

The flight transported 60 passengers and four crew members, while an army official said three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. The aircraft collided with the helicopter while trying to land, which got a great search-and-rescue operation in the Potomac River.

Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said Thursday morning that it is not assumed that there are any survivors and that the efforts have been switched to a recovery operation. Donnelly said 27 bodies had been regained from the plane and one from the helicopter.

Two coaches on the plane were identified by the Kremlin such as Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pair title at the World Cup in 1994 and competed twice in the Olympics. The Boston skating club lists them as coaches, and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skating for the United States

“There were other of our fellow citizens there. Bad news from Washington today,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday morning.

Russia’s Art Skating Federation expressed his condolance with those who had lost loved ones in the crash, but said it was unable to comment further.

The federal aviation administration said the midair accident happened before 1 p.m. 21 one, when a regional jet who had departed from Wichita collided with a military helicopter on a training flight while on an approach to an airport track.

There was no immediate word about the cause of the collision, but all the starts and landings at the airport were stopped when Dive Teams shed the place, and helicopters from law enforcing authorities throughout the region flew across the stage in methodological search for bodies. Flights were expected to resume on Reagan at. 11 Thursday.

Pictures from the river showed both around the partially submerged wing and what seemed to be the confused wreck of the aircraft’s aircraft.

President Donald Trump said he had been “fully informed of this terrible accident” and referred to the passengers added, “May God bless their souls.”

The international skating said it was “deeply shocked by the tragic accident.”

“We are heart -bridged to learn that figurines with their families, friends and coaches are understood to be among them on board,” the global governing body said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with anyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sports-it is a densely composed family and we stand together. We remain in close contact with us art skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.

The accident occurred in some of the most closely controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over 3 miles south of the White House and Capitol.

Investigators will try to put together the aircraft’s last moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers and the loss of height from passenger jet.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving aircraft in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicop thermoments later: “Pat 25 fit behind crj.” Seconds after this, the two aircraft collided.

About 300 first respondents were on stage. Inflatable lifeboats were launched in the Potomac River from a point along George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport, and the first respondents created lightweight towers from the coast to elucidate the area near the collision site. At least half a dozen boats scanned the water using the spotlight.

The last deadly crash that involved an American commercial airline took place in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. All aboard Bombardier DHC-8 Propelplan were killed, including 45 passengers, two pilots and two flying. Another person on earth also died, which brought the total death toll to 50.

In 1961, the 18-member US Art Skating died in a plane crash on its way to the World Cup in Prague.

Wednesday’s collision also remembered the crash of an Air Florida flight that fell into Potomac on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people.

Reuters contributed to this report.