By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-01-30 18:46:16 | Updated at 2025-01-31 00:15:42
5 hours ago
Multiple figure skaters from the United States and Russia were among those killed when American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed near Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
Officials say at least 28 bodies have been recovered after the passenger jet collided with a US Army helicopter and plunged into the Potomac River.
Six members of the Figure Skating Club of Boston were among those who perished, including two teenage skaters and their mothers, along with former Russian world champions turned coaches.
US Figure Skating confirmed that "several members of our skating community" were aboard the ill-fated flight.
Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were former world champions in ice-skating
Instagram/Reuters
The Figure Skating Club of Boston identified the young victims as 16-year-olds Spencer Lane and Jinna Hahn.
Their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Hahn, were also aboard the flight.
Russian coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were based at the Boston club, completed the group of six from the organisation.
"Six is a horrific number for us," Doug Zeghibe, the club's CEO, told local media. "This will have long, reaching impacts for our skating community."
Reports indicate that as many as 15 people connected to figure skating may have been on the flight in total.
Shishkova and Naumov were accomplished Russian pairs skaters who claimed the world championship title in 1994.
The married couple also competed at the Olympics before transitioning to coaching careers in the United States.
The Kremlin confirmed the "sad information" that Russian citizens were aboard the flight, following initial reports from Russian state news agency TASS.
Another former Soviet skater, Inna Volyanskaya, was also among the passengers on the doomed flight, according to TASS.
The passenger jet was carrying 64 people when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter around 21:00 local time on Wednesday.
US officials have said that they do not expect any survivors after the crash
Reuters
The crash occurred near Reagan Washington National Airport, which subsequently grounded all flights.
Both aircraft plunged into the ice-cold waters of the Potomac River following the mid-air collision.
Rescue teams continue to search the freezing waters where the remnants of both aircraft remain.
Officials have switched to a recovery operation, with no survivors expected from the crash.
The Figure Skating Club of Boston has been dealt a tragic loss
Reuters
At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the scene thus far, according to US officials.
The victims were returning from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, according to US Figure Skating.
The camp followed the US National Figure Skating championships, which had been held in Wichita from 20-26 January.
The tragedy has echoes of a devastating incident from 1961, when the entire 18-person US figure skating team perished in a plane crash in Belgium whilst travelling to Prague.
US Figure Skating said in a statement that "several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342".
