Arlington, US: A devastating collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., has claimed the lives of all 64 passengers and three military personnel on board. So far, more than 40 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage.
Following the accident, US President Donald Trump placed blame on the Biden and Obama administrations, arguing that their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies contributed to the disaster.
The crash occurred at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, when American Airlines Flight 5342, en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., collided mid-air with a Sikorsky Black military helicopter conducting a test flight. Air Traffic Control (ATC) had cleared the passenger plane to land on Runway 33 and had warned the military helicopter to confirm its position 30 seconds before impact.
Both aircraft plunged into the frozen Potomac River, making rescue efforts extremely difficult. Washington, D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly stated that survival chances in the freezing temperatures were slim.
Among the victims were world champion figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as confirmed by the Russian presidential office, with the Kremlin expressing condolences to their families.
