Angela Yang (L) and Sean Kay (Image: Instagram)
Two of the youngest victims of the airplane crash believed to have killed 67 people have been identified as an up-and-coming figure skating duo.
Angela Yang and Sean Kay, believed to be 11 and 12 years old, were on the flight with their coach Alexandr Kirsanov on the way back from the US Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas, as per the Delaware News Journal.
All three were onboard when the plane collided with a US military helicopter and plunged into Potomac river on Wednesday night, Kirsanov’s wife, confirmed to the local newspaper.
Just hours before the flight, Yang shared a number of pictures from her time in Wichita, writing: “Had so so much fun at camp!!! I’m really gonna miss my friends and all the great coaches! I can’t wait for next year!
“It was a lot of fun watching all the skaters at Kansas! I had a lot of fun sitting with my friends watching amazing skaters! I wish I could watch it all over again!”
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The pair were members of University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, according to by organisation on social media. (Image: US Figure Skating)
They were among several members of the figure skating community thought to have perished in the crash. (Image: Instagram)
Golden Skate, a website that shares news about the sport said US Figure Skating had confirmed that a number of members of its community were involved in the tragedy.
These included skating athletes, coaches and family members heading home after the National Development Camp.
The website listed 17 people associated with US Figure Skating who were confirmed to have been on the passenger jet, including Kay, Yang and Kirsanov.
American Airlines flight 5342 struck a military Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk aircraft as the plane was coming into land at the US capital’s Ronald Reagan airport.
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The 60 passengers and four crew were on board the commercial aircraft, with three soldiers on
The tragedy took place at 9pm local time. Families of victims visited the crash site on Sunday as divers continue to search the submerged wreckage for more bodies.
Authorities said the bodies of 55 of the 67 people killed have been recovered and identified.
Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said .
An investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is under way to establish what caused the collision.
American Airlines’s CEO Robert Isom voiced his “deep sorrow” over the tragedy, explaining that the aircraft was operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
“We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,” Isom said.
The carrier has set up a hotline as well as centers in Washington and Wichita for people searching for information about family members who may have been aboard the downed flight.