Three victims of US plane crash had Russian passports, identity of fourth being checked: Russian Foreign Ministry
Moscow, Jan 31 (IANS) Moscow on Friday confirmed that three Russians were among the 67 victims of the deadly plane crash that took place in the United States on Wednesday night.
A US passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River after a mid-air collision with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, the worst US air disaster since 2001.
The American Eagle Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers and four members of the crew while the US Army Black Hawk helicopter had three service members.
“We express our sincere condolences to their families and all Americans. As has already been confirmed, our compatriots were on board the airliner, including world champions in pair figure skating on the Russian national team Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as Soviet figure skater Inna Volyanskaya, who worked in the United States as coaches. The American athletes flying with them also died,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova during an off-site media briefing in Saransk, Mordovia.
“As stated by the American side, there are no survivors in this plane crash. Three victims of this plane crash, according to information from our Embassy, have Russian passports. With regard to another person, the fourth, there is an understanding that there could have been a Russian passport – this information is currently being checked,” Zakharova added.
The spokesperson stated that the Russian Embassy in the United States is in contact with the US State Department on the whole range of issues on the tragic accident.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday that the flight paths of the two aircraft were not unusual for the area and that both the helicopter and the airplane had been flying standard flight patterns.
Of the three major airports in the region, Reagan National is closest to the capital. Because of the short length of its runways, more than 90 per cent of flights use its main runway, making it the busiest in the US, with over 800 daily takeoffs and landings.
–IANS
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