DStv Channel 403 Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Grim search for plane crash bodies as Trump doubles down

WASHINGTON - Divers scoured for the remaining bodies from the Washington plane crash as President Donald Trump posted his own politicised verdict on the deadliest US air disaster in almost a quarter century, with the investigation barely underway.

Forty-one victims have been pulled from the frigid Potomac River, and rescuers voiced confidence the other 26 would be retrieved in the operation to recover the passenger jet that collided midair with a Black Hawk military helicopter Wednesday night.

"Our dive teams are working in targeted areas and additional Coast Guard assets will arrive this afternoon. The salvage crews... are assessing the work that's going to be needed to recover the aircraft from the water," Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly told a news conference at Reagan National Airport, outside the US capital.

Lifting the aircraft's fuselage out of the river would likely reveal the remaining bodies, he said, adding: "If it doesn't, we will continue the search."

Investigators on Thursday found the helicopter's black box after having already retrieved the cockpit voice and flight data recorder from the Bombardier jet operated by an American Airlines subsidiary.

Officials are confident data can be fully extracted from the recorders, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

As the Federal Aviation Administration restricted helicopter flights to reduce the risk of another collision, the physical search ran parallel with a complex technical analysis of what went wrong.

The airliner was coming in to land at Reagan National Airport -- just a few miles from the White House -- when it collided with the US Army helicopter on a training mission.

The NTSB is expected to compile a preliminary report within 30 days, although a full investigation could take a year.

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