According to the US media, there were several figure skaters, coaches and their relatives on board the passenger machine crashed in Washington.
They were on the way back from a training camp that took place as part of the national championships in Wichita in the state of Kansas, it said. There was initially no official confirmation for this.
“We are shaken about this unspeakable tragedy and close the victims’ families into our heart,” the broadcaster “ABC” quoted from a statement by the figure skating association. The newspaper “The Wichita Eagle” also reported on the statement.
The organization could confirm “that several members of our figure skating community were unfortunately on board the American Airlines flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter in Washington last night,” it said. It was a training camp for young talents, the sheet continued.
The machine with 64 people on board, who had an accident near the Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA), collided with a US military helicopter on the landing approach. Many deaths are feared. The plane came from the city of Wichita.