Police boats combed the banks of the Potomac River on Friday as investigators sought clues into the mid-air collision that killed 67 people.
While D.C. is no longer experiencing an arctic winter blast, polar ocean diver Christine Dennison told NewsNation the conditions in the Potomac are still brutally cold.
“They’re working in very cold water,” she said. “There’s only a certain amount of time that they’ll keep teams in the water before their extremities get cold. They can’t work as efficiently.”
No one survived the Wednesday night collision between the American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. More than 40 bodies have been pulled from the river as the recovery effort continued Friday.
Divers are also navigating strong currents and large amounts of debris in the river.
“There’s a very large debris field that is also hampered by currents, so there’s a lot of movement in the water,” Dennison said. “Pieces of the plane — potentially body parts — are not necessarily where they were yesterday or this morning.”
“So, they’re bringing up and finding pieces, handing pieces to the forensics experts,” she added.
Rescuers are also likely battling grief, said Dennison.
“They have feelings, they have emotions,” she continued. “This is very physical work. This is mentally exhausting, and it’s emotionally difficult as well.”
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