US officials: No survivors in plane crash with 64 people on board
A US emergency chief has announced there are likely no survivors in the Wednesday collision between an airliner with 64 passengers and a military chopper.
The American Airlines regional jetliner was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, plunging the aircraft into the Potomac River.
Washington, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a press conference on Thursday that a huge rescue operation had been launched, but no survivors are expected from the crash.
He said first responders worked throughout the night to recover bodies and search for survivors despite the tough working conditions due to the plane falling into the Potomac River.
However, till now the rescue workers had not found any survivors and were able to only recover 30 dead bodies, one of which was from the helicopter.
News agencies reported that a renowned Russian figure skating couple, who worked as coaches in the US and were traveling with a group of young skaters, had been aboard the American Airlines plane that crashed on Thursday.
Newly-appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon has begun a probe into the cause of the deadly midair collision
Hegseth said the military helicopter that collided with the airplane was reportedly performing an annual proficiency training flight.
He said that a "fairly experienced crew" was doing its required annual night evaluation, adding that the helicopter crew was wearing night goggles at the time of the collision.
Meanwhile, experts say numerous safety defects leading to crashes in American-made airliners indicate a decline in production standards in US airplane manufacturing plants.
Boeing, the flagship American manufacturer of commercial airliners, posted a fourth-quarter loss of $3.8 billion on Tuesday amid continued machinists' strikes and other problems at its plants.
Two Boeing whistle-blowers, who warned about manufacturing defects in its planes, have been found dead in the US after making their revelations.
John Barnett and Joshua Dean both died in mysterious circumstances.
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US officials: No survivors in plane crash with 64 people on board
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