Washington, Jan 30: No survivors have yet been found of American Eagle Flight 5342 that collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near the Reagan National Airport in Washington DC Wednesday night.

Both aircraft fell into the Potomac river.

The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four members of the crew while the helicopter had three service members.

Rescuers had pulled out several bodies from the icy cold water of the river till early Thursday morning, but no survivors. The temperature of the water in the river was dangerously low around 0 degree celsius.

NBC’s Washington affiliate has reported rescuers have recovered 30 bodies from the river.

The plane was carrying passengers from Wichita in the state of Kansas to the National Airport.

DC authorities have said the plane had broken into pieces and the helicopter was found upside down in the river.

Rescue helicopters hovered over the river with flood lights as boats and rescuers combed the river for survivors and bodies.

The collision reportedly took place around 8:47 pm, local time.

The Army helicopter was a UH-60 Black Hawk on a training flight, US military officials have said. It was assigned to Bravo Company of the 12th Aviation Battalion, which operates out of Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, in nearby Virginia.

Two renowned former Russian figure skaters were on board the passenger plane, the Kremlin has said according to reports.

They were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov did not identify them at a briefing but confirmed when asked if they were on board.

He also suggested that other Russian nationals were aboard the crashed flight.

“There were other of our fellow citizens there as well,” he said.

Shishkova and Naumov won gold at the 1994 Figure Skating World Championship for Russia. The Washington Post reported the married pair lived in the United States since at least 1998, where they coached young ice skaters.

Stockholm, Jan 30: Salwan Momika, the 38-year-man who held several demonstrations in Sweden and was accused of burning the Quran, has been shot dead in the city of Sodertalje in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, Swedish media reported on Thursday.

Momika was allegedly shot dead while he was conducting a live broadcast on social media from his apartment in Hovsjo late on Wednesday, a day before a verdict was scheduled to be announced by the Stockholm District Court in an incitement case against him.

“I can confirm that five people have been arrested, suspected of murder,” prosecutor Rasmus Ohman was quoted as saying by Sweden’s leading daily Dagens Nyheter.

According to the spokesperson for the Stockholm Police Region, the police received a report of the shooting in Hovsjo at 11:11 pm, local time.

The newspaper detailed that the crime scene was investigated overnight and the apartment building remains cordoned off on Thursday with several police officers on site. It was reported that drones have also been sent up over the area.

“The police have been questioning me and they confirmed that he has died,” Salwan Najem, a friend of Salwan Momika, told Swedish state broadcaster SVT.

Najem, who said that he has been told “you’re next”, had also spoken during the night with Momika’s girlfriend.

“She started crying and said they killed him,” Najem told SVT.

The desecration of the Quran had sparked an angry reaction from several countries, including Saudi Arabia, which strongly condemned the burning of a copy of the Islamic holy book in the Swedish city of Malmo by Momika, an individual of Iraqi origin, in October 2023.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry had “reiterated the Kingdom’s rejection of such flagrant acts,” and said such a move had inflamed the feelings of millions of Muslims worldwide.

Momika had allegedly torn pages of the holy book and also burnt it in full public view during demonstrations.

Washington, Jan 30: Several members of the US figure skating team were on board the ill-fated flight from Wictha to Washington, which crashed over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, according to an athlete.

A devastating mid-air collision on Wednesday has claimed at least 18 lives so far as rescue teams continue search for survivors. The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk military helicopter.

Team USA pair skater Luke Wang confirmed the tragic news on X, writing, “Praying for all those on the flight from Wichita to DC. Among the passengers were skaters and coaches. Absolutely heartbreaking.”

“As we hold everybody on board in our thoughts, we will continue to wait for official information to be released,” he added.

The skaters were part of the National Development Team, a training programme for top juvenile figure skaters. Many competitors had remained in Kansas to participate in the National Development Camp after the US Figure Skating Championships, which took place in Wichita from January 20 to January 26.

Some athletes had stayed on until January 28 for the advanced training programme.

Team USA ice dancer Ethan Peal also reacted to the news, posting on social media, “I am in shock. Praying for families and my skating community.”

Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that Russian figure skater couple Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board the ill-fated flight.

Their 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, a figure skater for Team US, recently competed in the US Championships in Wichita, securing a podium finish. However, it remains unclear whether he was also travelling with his parents on the flight.

The collision occurred around 9 pm local time on Wednesday as the regional passenger jet was approaching the airport for landing.

The jet had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. No survivors have been found so far.

The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, collided mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Runway 33. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon and the Army had launched an immediate investigation. Calling the incident “absolutely tragic,” he expressed condolences and assured that search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

Emergency response teams, including the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, were swiftly deployed to the crash site. Rescue boats continue to scan the Potomac River for potential survivors.

Reagan National Airport confirmed on X that all takeoffs and landings were halted while emergency personnel responded to the incident. The terminal remained open, and authorities promised further updates.

Authorities have urged the public to stay clear of the area to allow emergency teams to carry out their duties. Multiple agencies are working together to manage the crisis and provide assistance to those affected. The search continues, and more details are awaited.