US determine skaters, Russians die in Potomac – NBC New York



Passengers aboard the American Airways flight that collided with an Military helicopter and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River included determine skaters getting back from the U.S. Determine Skating Championships and two of their Russian coaches.

There have been 60 passengers and 4 crew members on the American Airways flight on Wednesday and three troopers aboard the coaching flight on the Blackhawk helicopter. Hope of rescuing any survivors evaporated by dawn.

“We at the moment are on the level the place we’re switching from a rescue operation to a restoration operation,” stated John Donnelly, the hearth chief within the nation’s capital, on Thursday morning. “We don’t imagine there are any survivors.”

Donnelly stated he is assured that the stays of these killed within the crash will likely be recovered, however it might take a while.

U.S. Determine Skating stated in a press release that a number of skaters, coaches and their relations had been on the business flight after attending a growth camp that adopted the championships, which wrapped up Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.

“We’re devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and maintain the victims’ households carefully in our hearts,” U.S. Determine Skating stated in a press release.

Two of these coaches had been recognized by the Kremlin as a Russian couple who had been pairs world champions 30 years in the past.

It isn’t the primary time that the U.S. determine skating group has been rocked by an air tragedy. The 18-member U.S. workforce that was set to compete within the 1961 world championships at Prague died when Sabena Flight 548 crashed on Feb. 15, 1961, in Berg-Kampenhout, about 45 minutes exterior of Brussels. Additionally killed had been six U.S. coaches and 4 skating officers, together with some relations.

American Airways arrange a hotline in addition to facilities in Washington and Wichita for individuals looking for details about relations who might have been aboard Wednesday’s downed flight.

Listed here are the passengers recognized in Wednesday evening’s crash thus far:

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Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov

Shishkova and Naumov received the pairs title on the 1994 world championships in Chiba, Japan. They competed twice within the Olympics.

The Skating Membership of Boston lists them as coaches. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a aggressive determine skater for the U.S.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov had been aboard the airplane.

“Sadly, we see that this unhappy info is being confirmed,” Peskov stated. “There have been different fellow residents there. Dangerous information at this time from Washington. We’re sorry and ship condolences to the households and mates who misplaced these of our fellow residents who died within the airplane crash.”

The Worldwide Skating Union despatched a press release saying it was deeply shocked and heartbroken.

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