Members of the U.S figure skating team were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C on Wednesday night and plunged into the Potomac River, U.S. Figure Skating has announced.
"U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.
"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place Jan. 21-26 in Wichita, Kansas.
U.S. Figure Skating did not identify any of the members of its team that were on board.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing that Russian figure skaters and other Russian nationals were on board the plane.
The commercial flight coming from Wichita was making its approach to Reagan National Airport when it collided with the helicopter around 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters that 28 bodies have been recovered. There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard AA5342, according to American Airlines. The Army said there were three soldiers on the helicopter.
"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," Donnelly said.
