Argentine citizen among 67 suspected fatalities in Washington crash

A 67-year-old Argentine citizen is among the 67 suspected fatalities from last Thursday’s tragic air tragedy in Washington DC, United States.

Sources at the Foreign Ministry confirmed to the Noticias Argentinas news agency that authorities believe the Argentine adult perished in the crash, which happened when a US military helicopter collided midair with a passenger plane carrying 64 people. The US Army Blackhawk helicopter had three soldiers aboard.

The man, who has not been formally identified, was travelling with his son, a Chilean national, the sources added.

At press time, no details had been released by the Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires, which is awaiting an official list from US authorities before contacting the Argentine's family and revealing his identity.

Divers continue to pull bodies from the icy waters of Washington's Potomac river after the tragedy, with officials saying there were likely no survivors.

As dawn broke over the crash site on Thursday, just three miles (five kilometres) from the White House, wreckage from both aircraft protruded from the water and emergency vessels and diving teams scoured the area.

"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly told a press conference at Reagan National Airport.

"We don't believe there are any survivors," he said, adding that 28 bodies had been recovered so far – including one from the helicopter.

At least 300 first responders were involved in the operation – conducted in pitch darkness for several hours – with recovery teams discovering debris a mile downriver.

There were no details on the cause of the crash, with transport officials saying both aircraft were on standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility. 

"Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference.

Dramatic audio from air traffic controllers showed them repeatedly asking the helicopter if it had the passenger jet "in sight," and then just before the crash telling it to "pass behind" the plane.

"I just saw a fireball and it was gone," one air traffic controller was heard telling another after communication with the helicopter was cut.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac river, and the fuselage of the passenger jet was broken into three sections.

US Figure Skating said several athletes, coaches and officials were aboard the flight, while officials in Moscow confirmed married Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov – who won the 1994 world pairs title – were also onboard

The Bombardier plane operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, with 60 passengers and four crew on board, was approaching the airport after flying from Wichita, Kansas, when the collision happened.

Witness Ari Schulman was driving home when he saw "the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land."

"Three seconds later, and at that point it was banked all the way to the right... I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow," Schulman told CNN.

Typical Trump

US President Donald Trump – speaking as the bodies were still being pulled from the water – launched an extraordinary political attack Thursday, blaming diversity hires for the midair collision.

The Republican confirmed the deaths of all those aboard both aircraft, and also cited pilot error on the helicopter in the nighttime crash.

But he chiefly used a press conference to open fire at what he said were left-wing diversity practices under his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama that he said kept out good employees at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Trump opened his press conference by speaking of the nation's "anguish" and said that the investigation would take time.

However, he then launched into an extended broadside against so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Trump – who began his presidency a week ago with an onslaught against decades-old measures aimed at preventing sexism and racism in the United States – singled out Biden's openly gay transport secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"He's run it right into the ground with his diversity," Trump said.

Asked by reporters whether he was blaming workplace diversity for the crash, Trump answered: "It could have been."

– TIMES/AFP/NA