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By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that there were no survivors from a nighttime midair collision between a passenger aircraft and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington the previous day, as authorities have shifted to a recovery operation from a rescue operation.
A PSA Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter carrying three people on Wednesday, while approaching a runway at Reagan Washington National Airport near the U.S. capital, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other sources. PSA is an American Airlines subsidiary.
“The work has now shifted to a recovery mission. Sadly, there are no survivors,” Trump told a press conference. “This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the mid-air crash between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Jan. 30, 2025 in this photo released by AFP. (Yonhap)
Trump expressed his condolences over the loss of “every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” while noting there were “very talented” Russian people — in an apparent reference to Russian figure skaters reported to have been aboard the commercial jet.
“On behalf of the first lady, myself and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come,” the president said.
“We will be working very diligently in the days to come. We’re here for you to wipe away the tears and to offer you our devotion, our love and our support.”
The White House does not know yet what led to the crash, but it has “some very strong opinions and ideas,” the president said.
“We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we’ll find out how this disaster occurred, and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” Trump said, noting that the FAA, the National Transport Safety Board and the U.S. military will be carrying out a “systematic” and “comprehensive” investigation into the tragedy.
Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington on Jan. 30, 2025, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)
Earlier in the day, District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly also said that the authorities do not believe there were any survivors from the crash. As of Thursday morning, the authorities recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter, Donnelly said.
“The district office of the medical examiner has the lead on reuniting these bodies and these people with their loved ones, and we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones,” Donnelly said.
The official noted that some 300 responders were involved in a frantic search-and-rescue operation in “extremely frigid conditions.”
“They found heavy wind. They found ice on the water and they operated all night in these conditions,” he said.
Washington D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly addresses the media after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, in Washington, on Jan. 30, 2025, in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)
Among the passengers on the ill-fated plane were figure skaters returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and two of their Russian coaches, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating was quoted by AP as saying in a statement.
In a social media post in the morning, Trump said that the crash “looks like it should have been prevented.”
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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