WASHINGTON: Salvage crews have recovered the bodies of all 67 people killed when a passenger plane and a US Army helicopter collided near Washington and plunged into the Potomac River, officials said Tuesday.
All but one of the bodies have been identified, said a statement from a variety of government agencies involved in the recovery effort after the deadliest US air crash in 20 years.
The statement called the completion of the search for remains a “significant step” toward bringing closure to the families of the people who died in the accident last week.
“Our hearts are with the victims’ families as they navigate this tragic loss,” the statement said. “We extend our deepest condolences and remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time.”
Crews continue working to recover the wreckage of the passenger plane — a Bombardier CRJ-700 operated by American Eagle airlines — from the frigid waters of the Potomac.
So far crews have retrieved pieces including the right wing, a center section of the fuselage, part of the left wing, the tail cone and rudder, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Work to recover the chopper will begin when the plane work is done, the city agencies said.
Sixty passengers on the plane and four crew members were killed in Wednesday’s accident along with three soldiers aboard the US Army Black Hawk helicopter.
There were no survivors.
The plane was on a flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington when the collision occurred.
President Donald Trump was quick to blame diversity hiring policies for the accident although no evidence has emerged that they were responsible.
Trump also said the helicopter, which was on a routine training mission, appeared to be flying too high.
According to US media reports, the control tower at the busy airport may have been understaffed at the time of the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to compile a preliminary report within 30 days, although a full investigation could take a year.
All 67 bodies from Washington air disaster now recovered
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All 67 bodies from Washington air disaster now recovered
South Africa defends naval drills with Iran, Russia as ‘essential’
- The drills — led by China — were more than a military exercise, Captain Thamaha said
- “It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together“
SIMON’S TOWN, South Africa: South Africa on Saturday began naval drills with Russia, Iran and China, describing the maneuvers off its coast as not merely a show of force but a vital response to rising maritime tensions.
The weeklong ‘Will for Peace 2026’ exercises come just days after the United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it carried crude bound for Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of Western sanctions.
The seizure followed an American raid that toppled Moscow’s ally Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.
The drills — led by China — were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the BRICS group of emerging nations, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint taskforce commander, told the opening Ceremony.
“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” he said.
BRICS, originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, more recently, Indonesia.
China and Iran deployed destroyer warships, while Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvette vessels. Host South Africa dispatched a frigate.
Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil joined as observers.
“In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option, it is essential,” said Thamaha.
The exercises were to “ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities,” he said.
Previously known as Exercise Mosi, the drills were initially scheduled for last November but postponed due to a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg, boycotted by the United States.
Washington has accused South Africa and the BRICS bloc of ‘anti?American’ policies and warned members they could face an additional 10 percent tariff on top of existing duties already applied worldwide.
South Africa has also drawn US criticism for its close ties with Russia and a range of other policies, including its decision to bring a genocide case against Washington ally Israel at the International Court of Justice over the Gaza war.
South Africa drew criticism for hosting naval drills with Russia and China in 2023, coinciding with the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The three nations first conducted joint naval drills in 2019.
