7 hours ago
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US fig skaters were among the passengers connected committee an aeroplane that deed a chopper supra Washington DC connected Wednesday evening.
"Several" athletes, coaches and household members progressive with US Figure Skating were connected the flight, the sport's US governing assemblage said successful a statement.
Russian citizens were besides connected board, the Kremlin confirmed - aft section media reported that crystal skating coaches and erstwhile satellite champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were connected the plane.
US officials person said they are not expected immoderate survivors from the crash, though they accidental astatine slightest 28 bodies person been recovered from the icy acold Potomac River.
The level was carrying 64 passengers and unit erstwhile it collided successful mid-air with a US Army chopper conscionable aft 21:00 section clip connected Wednesday (02:00 GMT), and past fell into the water.
As galore arsenic 15 radical connected the formation whitethorn person been progressive successful fig skating, an unnamed root told the Reuters quality agency.
The connection from US Figure Skating confirmed that "several members of our skating assemblage were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342".
The radical were returning location from a improvement campy successful Wichita, Kansas, the connection added.
Wichita hosted the US National Figure Skating championships from 20 January to 26 January. Following the competition, determination was a improvement campy for young skaters.
It has not been confirmed whether oregon not the erstwhile Russian skaters were astatine the aforesaid event.
Without specifying names, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the "sad information" that Russian citizens were connected the formation - pursuing Russian quality bureau reports that named Shishkova and Naumov.
The joined mates are retired Russian pairs skaters who won the satellite championships successful 1994. They besides competed astatine the Olympics. They present enactment arsenic coaches successful the US.
Inna Volyanskaya, a erstwhile skater for the Soviet Union, was besides connected committee the flight, according to Russian quality bureau Tass.
Rescue teams are continuing to hunt the freezing waters of the Potomac River wherever the remnants of some aircrafts remain.
Nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has grounded each flights.
Besides the undisclosed fig of individuals associated with US fig skating and the 2 Russian fig skaters, determination is constricted accusation astir the individuals connected board.
In 1961, the 18-person US fig skating squad was killed successful a level clang successful Belgium connected their mode to Prague.
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