Tragedy strikes as DC‑bound flight views real-time disaster
Passengers on a plane flying over Washington experienced terrifying moments when live footage of an air disaster appeared on the screens in front of them. The distressing scenes involved an accident between a passenger plane and a military helicopter. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River.
On the screens, passengers saw an urgent bulletin about the disaster. The plane fell silent, and the passengers held their breath, watching the dramatic events unfold. Fear and uncertainty filled the atmosphere.
The disaster below acted as a warning to the passengers. As rescuers continued searching for survivors in the Potomac River, they wondered about their own safety.
There were 64 people on board the crashed American Airlines plane. The military Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision was transporting three soldiers.
American media reports that rescuers have already recovered over 30 bodies from the Potomac River.
- We don't believe there are any survivors - said the head of the fire and rescue services in the U.S. capital during a conference.
According to a person familiar with the matter, many people have died. Still, the exact number is unknown as rescue teams continued searching for survivors, reports the American news agency Associated Press.
Among the passengers on the American Airlines plane were young figure skaters, their coaches, and family members returning from the U.S. Championships in Kansas. The U.S. Figure Skating Federation confirmed to CNN that "several members of its community" were on the flight.
The victims of the air disaster include Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Russian world figure skating champions from 1994, who had lived in the U.S. for years.
