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STORY: :: More than 60 are feared dead after an American Airlines jet collided with a US Army helicopter:: Washington, D.C.:: January 30, 2025:: John Donnelly, Chief of DC Fire and EMS"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter. The district office of the medical examiner has the lead on reuniting these bodies and these people with their loved ones. And we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones. We should also acknowledge that the Virginia medical examiner and the Army medical examiner are involved in this operation and a very important part of getting people identified."American Airlines confirmed 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet. The helicopter, on a training flight, was carrying three soldiers, a U.S. official said.Passengers on the flight included ice skaters, family and coaches returning from events in Wichita, including Russian-born former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet was approaching to land at Reagan. Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk showed the helicopter crew knew the plane was in the vicinity.The Pentagon said it was launching an investigation.
