U.S. Figure Skating said athletes, coaches and family members were among those involved in an airline disaster on Wednesday night. The Kremlin said Russian stars died as well.
U.S. and Russian figure skaters were on board an American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
U.S. Figure Skating said athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from a camp held in Wichita, Kansas.
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“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.,” the organization said. “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
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Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won a pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were on board the plane as well, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” he said.
The International Skating Union said it was “deeply shocked” over the incident.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together,” the organization said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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