An American Airlines plane with 60 passengers and four crew members on board collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, plunging into the Potomac River
Washington's Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said Thursday morning that 28 bodies were recovered from the scene: 27 passengers from the jet and one from the helicopter. That number grew to at least 40 bodies recovered from the Potomac River as of Thursday evening, CNN and CBS News reported, citing law enforcement sources.
"At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," Donnelly said, adding that first responders were "switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation."
The commercial flight from Wichita, Kan., was making its approach to Reagan National Airport when the collision occurred shortly before 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Black Hawk helicopter — operating out of Fort Belvoir, Va., with a crew of three — was on a training mission, according to the Defense Department. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office told CNN Thursday evening that one of two black boxes aboard the American flight had been recovered.
Among those who died in the crash were figure skaters and their family members and coaches. U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport, said "several members of our skating community" were on board the flight from Kansas, "returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships."
At a press briefing on Thursday, President Trump held a moment of silence for the crash victims. "We are in mourning," he said. "This has really shaken a lot of people, including people, sadly, from other nations who were on the flight."
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