‘No survivors’ expected in US plane crash

So far, 28 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, according to an emergency services official

Emergency crews have recovered 28 bodies from the near-freezing river following the collision of an American Airlines jet carrying 64 people and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers near Reagan National Airport in Washington DC, according to Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly.

The official has confirmed that emergency crews are switching from a rescue mission to a recovery operation, adding that efforts are ongoing to return the victims’ remains to their families.

“We don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident and we have recovered 28 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” Donnelly told reporters.

First responders have been working in “extremely frigid conditions. They found heavy wind. They found ice on the water, and they’ve operated all night in those conditions,” according to Donnelly.

Emergency services have assured the families of victims that all bodies from Wednesday night’s crash will be recovered. Currently, 67 people are believed dead – 64 from the passenger plane and three from the helicopter.

“I’m confident we will do that, but it will take time and may require additional equipment,” Donnelly said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the next phase of the operation.

The crash was “absolutely preventable,” the newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters on Thursday.

“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but … what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Duffy said.

He noted that the Black Hawk was on a training mission but emphasized that this does not imply the pilot was inexperienced.

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