Searchers scour the crash site in Washington (Image: Getty )
site of the helicopter and passenger plane that collided over Washington DC have spoken of the “horror” confronting them underwater.
On Wednesday evening last week 67 people lost their lives when American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, struck a military Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk aircraft as the plane came into land at the US capital’s Ronald Reagan airport.
The 60 passengers and four crew on board the commercial aircraft, and three soldiers on perished in the tragedy at around 9pm local time which saw the wreckage plummet into the icy waters of the Potomac River.
US reporter Brian Entin, for the outlet NewsNation, posted on X a comment from an unnamed rescuer working at the scene to return remains to loved ones families.
He wrote on Sunday: “The firefighters are working very hard, spoke to one yesterday, they are emotionally wiped out after seeing the horror up close.”
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Search teams on the Potomac River (Image: Getty )
Families of victims of the deadliest US air disaster since 2001 visited the crash site on Sunday as divers searched the submerged wreckage for more bodies. Authorities said they’ve recovered and identified 55 of the 67 people killed.
Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said officials are confident the remains of all those missing will be found.
Divers are working diligently to locate remains as crews prepare to lift wreckage from the chilly Potomac River as early as Monday, Donnelly said at a news conference.
Colonel Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers said divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and will stop moving debris if a body is found. The “dignified recovery” of remains takes precedence over all else, he said.
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Wreckage being recovered from the Potomac River (Image: Getty )
He said: “Reuniting those lost in this tragic incident is really what keeps us all going. We’ve got teams that have been working this effort since the beginning, and we’re committed to making this happen.”
Divers have high-definition cameras with feeds monitored on support boats, Pera said, putting “four or five sets of eyes” inside of the wreckage.
The fire service confirmed one diver had been treated for hypothermia in hospital because of the amount of time they spent searching in the freezing conditions underwater.