(NewsNation) — A group of figure skaters and coaches were among the passengers of an American Airlines regional jet that collided with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that “several members of the skating community” and their family members were returning from a development camp held after the national U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. It did not provide more details.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
Former champion Russian skaters were on board the plane: Kremlin
The Kremlin confirmed Thursday that Russian figure skaters and other Russian nationals were on the jet. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were aboard the plane.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” he said.
He did not give details on the number of fatalities.
DC plane crash: What to know
American Eagle Flight 5342 was en route from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard when it collided Wednesday with a UH-60 Black Hawk carrying three soldiers. Both aircraft went into the icy Potomac River, prompting a large search and rescue operation.
The mid-air crash occurred shortly before 9 p.m. local time Wednesday, shutting down the airport until at least 11 a.m. Officials talked in terms of recovering the bodies of passengers rather than rescues.
There were no immediate reports on casualties or the cause of the collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as dive teams searched the site and helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene.
People who believe they have family members on the flights and are looking for further information are asked to call 800-697-8215.
NewsNation’s digital producer Michael Ramsey, correspondent Tom Dempsey, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
