14 People Still Missing After US-Black Hawk Passenger Plane Crash

Holiday Ayo - Search operations for victims of the collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter in the United States (US) have been suspended until Friday (31/1) morning local time.
With dozens of victims' bodies successfully evacuated, so far there are still 14 victims who are declared missing.
In the incident that occurred on January 29 US time, a Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane, operated by American Airlines, collided in mid-air with a Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the US Army.
There were 64 passengers and crew on the American Airlines plane, and three US military personnel on board the Black Hawk helicopter.
US authorities said there were no survivors in this incident, meaning all 67 people were declared dead.
Reports from various sources with information regarding the search for victims stated that the bodies of more than 40 victims had been recovered from the Potomac River on Thursday (30/1) afternoon local time.
Search efforts in the Potomac River, as reported by CNN, Friday (31/1), were suspended after officers found the bodies of at least eight victims on Thursday (30/1) local time.
The search operation involving diving ended at noon Thursday, a US law enforcement source told CNN, because of water conditions in the Potomac River and rescuers realized most of the victims who could be reached without needing to remove the plane's fuselage from the water had been found.
A source who understands the process of searching for victims said the whereabouts of four of the victims were known but could not be evacuated, because they were stuck in the fuselage of the plane which was in the water.
Two soldiers, of the three soldiers on board the Black Hawk, were also still in the wreck of the crashed helicopter.
A crane has been deployed to the location to help reach the victims inside the fuselage, which divers cannot reach.
However, the crane cannot be used for the next 24 hours to 48 hours. According to sources familiar with the search operation in the Potomac River, the crane will be used to cut and lift the plane's wreckage so divers can safely reach the victims' positions in the water.








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