Moscow and Washington are cooperating to repatriate the stays of Russian nationals killed within the US airplane tragedy
The US authorities has reached out to Moscow relating to the Russian nationals killed within the crash of a civilian airliner and a army helicopter at Washington Nationwide Airport, President Donald Trump has stated.
All 64 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 5342 died when their Bombardier CRJ700 collided with an H-60 Black Hawk helicopter whereas trying to land within the US capital on Wednesday night. Three members of the US army on board the helicopter had been additionally killed.
“We had a Russian contingent – some very proficient folks – sadly on that aircraft,” Trump informed reporters at a White Home briefing on Thursday. “Very, very sorry about that.”
“We’ve already been involved with Russia,” Trump stated in response to a query from the press. He additionally acknowledged that the US “will facilitate” the switch of the stays of any Russian nationals killed within the crash, whatever the sanctions and flight bans at the moment in impact.
The Kremlin later clarified that the “contact” Trump talked about didn’t contain direct communication between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian embassy in Washington expressed its condolences to the American folks over the tragedy, including, “We had been particularly saddened to study from the White Home that there have been Russian residents on board the airliner.”
“We’re grateful to the American authorities, with whom we’re in fixed contact, for the phrases of help expressed to the households of the victims and their readiness to assist with the switch of the stays to their homeland,” the embassy stated in an announcement on Thursday. It added that it was nonetheless awaiting info from the State Division in regards to the Russian nationals who died within the crash.
American Airways, whose subsidiary PSA operated Flight 5342, has not but launched the names of the crew or passengers. Nevertheless, some victims have been recognized via social media posts and interviews with relations and mates.
Lots of the passengers had been athletes, coaches, and relations coming back from the US Determine Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. Amongst them had been Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, the 1994 world champion determine skaters and former Russian Olympians who moved to the US in 1998 and labored as coaches.
Former Soviet skilled skater Inna Volyanskaya was additionally confirmed to have been on board by Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a Virginia Democrat, in whose district she lived.
The Trump administration has pledged to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the causes of Wednesday’s tragedy. The US president has prompt doable errors by the helicopter crew or air visitors management at Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport, citing movies that captured the crash.
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