Up to 14 members of US figure skating community including ex-world champions and 12-year-old girl – what we know about passengers
Dozens of people have died after an American Airlines passenger plane was in a mid-air crash with a military helicopter in Washington DC.
Sixty-four people were on the plane and there were three US soldiers in the helicopter.
Forty bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. No survivors are expected to be found.
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The crash, which happened as the jet sought to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, is the worst civil aviation disaster in the US since 2001.
Here’s what we know about the passengers so far.
The collision happened over the Potomac River and close to Ronald Reagan Airport
Pilots and a professor
The family of one of the American Airlines pilots killed in the crash has named him as Jonathan Campos.
His first officer, Samuel Lilley, was confirmed dead by his father Tim, who said he was due to get married this autumn.
“It is so devastating to lose someone who is loved so much,” he wrote on social media.
Jonathan Campos. Pic: Sonia Carrasquillo
Pic via NBC News
Samuel Lilley. Pic: Facebook/Tim Lilley
The parents of passenger Kiah Duggins also confirmed she was on board.
They said: “We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished first-born. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”
Howard University, where Ms Duggins worked as a law professor, also asked for privacy and respect “during this difficult time”.
Kiah Duggins. Pic: Dr and Mrs Duggins via NBC News
Raza Hussain told NBC News his wife Azra was also among those killed – and she was texting him just 20 minutes before she was due to land.
Azra Hussain. Pic: Raza family
He said she told him “we’re landing in 20 minutes” and that he “had dinner waiting at home” before the collision.
The 26-year-old worked as a consultant in Washington DC and was married to her college sweetheart.
Paying tribute to her, he said: “My wife was such a giver. She made me feel so loved.”
Liz Keys was confirmed as another of the crash victims by her partner David Seidman, who she met at law school.
Liz Keys. Pic: family handout
She worked as an attorney and was part of a sailing team in her spare time. The day of her crash is reported to have been her birthday.
Pergentino Malabed Jr was a police officer from the Phillippines who was in the US on work duties when he was killed in the crash.
Pergentino Malabed. Pic: Facebook/PNPTI Cordillera Administrative Region Training Center
The Philippine National Police said in a statement: “His untimely passing is a profound loss to the PNP, where he served with honour, integrity, and dedication throughout his career.”
Helicopter pilot and flight attendants
Helicopter pilot Andrew Eaves was confirmed dead by his wife Carrie on social media.
She said Mr Eaves was “one of the pilots in the Blackhawk”, asking people to share their pictures of him in his memory. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves also confirmed he was killed in the crash.
Andrew Eaves. Pic: Carrie Eaves/Facebook
Ian Epstein, 53, and Danasia Brown, 34, were two of the flight attendants on board the American Airlines flight, according to their families.
A statement from the Epstein family said Mr Epstein “loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed travelling and meeting new people”, adding that “his true love was his family”.
Ian Epstein. Pic: Debi Epstein/Facebook
Ms Brown’s older brother Dajour set up a crowdfunding page to help support her husband and two children, aged four and 13.
“Anything donated will go towards her kids and husband that’s left behind,” he wrote.
Danasia Brown. Pic: Dajour Brown/Go Fund Me
Up to 14 members of US figure skating community
Several figure skating organisations have said that athletes were on the American Airlines jet.
One of those was 12-year-old Olivia Ter, who was described as “beloved” and an “exceptional youth figure skater”.
The Parks Department in Prince George’s County, Maryland, confirmed Olivia’s death on Thursday night.
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It said she was one of four elite skaters from the region attending a development camp in Wichita, Kansas.
“The impact of Olivia’s life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed,” a department director, Bill Tyler, said.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Ter family, friends, teammates, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”
Meanwhile, The Skating Club of Boston also named members of its community who were on the American Airlines jet in a statement posted on Instagram.
They include athlete Jinna Han and her mother Jin Han, athlete Spencer Lane and his mother Christine Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Yevgenia Shishkova, a married couple who won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994.
Reports of the couple being on board the jet were confirmed by the Kremlin.
Spencer Lane. Pic: The Skating Club of Boston via AP
Pic: Christine Lane/Instagram
As many as 14 American members of the community are feared dead, said Doug Zeghibe, Skating Club of Boston’s chief executive.
“To the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home from the national development camp at Wichita, Kansas, put on by US figure skating, were lost in the plane crash at Washington DC,” he said.
“Of those 14 skaters, six were from the Skating Club of Boston. Two coaches and two teenage athletes, and two of the athletes’ mums.
“It’s a major loss for our skating community.”
Jinna Han. Pic: The Skating Club of Boston via AP
Naumov and Shishkova. File pic: Kimimasa Mayama/Reuters
US Figure Skating confirmed several members were on the American Airlines flight.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” it said in a statement.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
A man who said his daughter’s best friend and her mother were on the jet when it crashed told Sky News they had been at an “athletic trip” in Kansas.
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‘My daughter’s friend was on this flight’
Russian world champions
According to US media, Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, had lived in America since at least 1998, where they trained young ice skaters.
Skating coaches Vadim Naumov, left, and Evgenia Shishkova. Pic: The Skating Club of Boston via AP
Their son, Maxim, 23, who had been competing in the US figure skating championships in Wichita, was also feared to be on the plane. But his friend and fellow skater Anton Spiridonov has reportedly said he left four days ago.
The couple were reported to have been returning from the competition and travelling with a group of young skaters.
Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also reported to have been on board, Russian state media said. She was a coach at the Washington figure skating club, according to its website.
File Pic: Colorsport/Shutterstock
“We regret and offer condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in this plane crash,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Skaters confirm safety
US-Russian figure skater Spiridonov has confirmed he was not on the plane, despite reports suggesting he was.
Russian media had named him among the casualties, he said in an Instagram post.
“I was NOT on this flight, thank you for everyone’s concern for my safety,” the Winter World University Games silver medallist wrote.
“My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy.”
Anton Spiridonov, who has confirmed he was not on the plane, with fellow skater Lorraine McNamara in 2023. Pic: Tomohiro Ohsumi/AP
Cristian McKnight-Ide, a professional skater, said in a Facebook post: “Thank you for those who have reached out regarding the flight from Wichita that crashed. Scarlet and I are home safe since early this afternoon.
“We are all praying for the safety of our fellow skaters that were on that flight.”
Anne Goldberg-Baldwin, also a skater, said she was “safe” as she asked her followers to pray for her loved ones in a story on Instagram.
Pro-Western candidate Nicusor Dan has unexpectedly beaten hard-right populist George Simion in the Romanian presidential election.
Mr Simion, 38, and his rival – a centrist who’s mayor of Bucharest – faced off in the second round of the contest.
According to the official tally, Mr Dan was leading by nearly nine percentage points with more than 98% of the votes counted.
Pic: Reuters
Mr Dan and his supporters celebrated the exit polls. Pic: Reuters
After exit polls suggested he wasn’t going to win, Trump-supporting Mr Simion rejected the result and said estimates put him 400,000 votes ahead.
Speaking after voting ended, Mr Simion said his election was “clear” as he posted on Facebook: “I won!!! I am the new President of Romania and I am giving back the power to the Romanians!”
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Romania’s last election was annulled after its highest court ruled the leading candidate, nationalist Calin Georgescu, should be disqualified due to claims of electoral interference by Russia.
The result is surprising because in the first round, 38-year-old Mr Simion, founder of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), took 40.96% of the vote – almost 20 points ahead.
George Simion rejected the polls but official counting saw him slip behind. Pic: Reuters
Supporters of Mr Dan celebrated on the streets of the capital Bucharest. Pic: AP
An opinion poll on Friday had it much closer, but still suggested the two men were virtually tied.
Mr Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, is running as an independent and has pledged to clamp down on corruption.
He is also staunchly pro-EU and NATO, and has said Romania’s support for Ukraine is vital for its own security.
When voting closed at 9pm local time, 11.6 million people – about 64% of eligible voters – had cast ballots. About 1.64 million Romanians living abroad also took part.
About 11.6 million people – 64% of eligible voters – cast ballots. Pic: AP
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The election is being closely watched across Europe amid a rise of support for President Donald Trump.
After polls closed, Mr Dan said “elections are not about politicians” but about communities and that in the latest vote “a community of Romanians has won, a community that wants a profound change in Romania”.
“When Romania goes through difficult times, let us remember the strength of this Romanian society,” he said.
“There is also a community that lost today’s elections. A community that is rightly outraged by the way politics has been conducted in Romania up to now.”
Israel has said it will allow a “basic quantity of food” into the besieged enclave of Gaza to avoid a “starvation crisis” following a near three-month blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was “based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas”.
Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 people have died in Israel’s 19-month campaign, has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.
It comes as global food security experts warn of famine across the territory and after a UN-backed report issued last Monday which warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.
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Israel ramps up bombing in Gaza
The statement from the prime minister’s office said it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.
“Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to defeat Hamas,” it added.
“Israel will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”
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Gaza is ‘a slaughterhouse’ says surgeon
It comes after a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News the enclave is now “a slaughterhouse” amid Israeli bombardment.
Israel has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed troops had begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.
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In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.
Israel has launched an escalation to increase pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.
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A British surgeon working in southern Gaza has compared the region to a “slaughterhouse” because of the daily bombardment from Israeli forces.
Dr Tom Potokar, who is based at the European Hospital near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, offered his assessment of Israel’s military offensive after Palestinian health officials reported at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have confirmed their troops have begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.
In a video, Dr Potokar said it was “another day of devastation here in Gaza”, adding: “The stories coming from the north… absolutely horrific… particularly around the Indonesian Hospital.”
“I mean, it’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here… [with the] constant sound of bombardment jets overhead.
“If Cambodia was the killing fields, then Gaza now is the slaughterhouse.”
Mourners at a funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, at Al Shifa hospital, in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
His reference to Cambodia’s killing fields refers to when more than a million people were murdered in mass executions and buried by the extreme communist guerrilla group, the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, between 1975 and 1979.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.
In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.
A family in grief at a funeral on Sunday in Deir al Balah, central Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Dr Potokar described the impact on those on the ground, saying: “We’ve been operating all morning so far and [treating] awful explosive injuries… [including] one young woman with leg fracture and shoulder fracture and a large wound on her buttock, who came in yesterday and is not yet aware that everyone in our family was killed in the onslaught.”
Israel has launched an escalation of its war in Gaza to ramp up pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.
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Israel ramps up bombing in Gaza
On Sunday, it announced and launched “extensive” new ground operations in Gaza.
It came after airstrikes killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza’s main hospital to close.
A spokesperson for the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said: “Complete families were wiped off the civil registration record by Israeli bombardment”.
The ministry also said the bombardment had forced the closure of the Indonesian Hospital, the main hospital serving people in northern Gaza.
Nasser hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis, said more than 48 people – mostly women and children – were killed in the area which includes tents sheltering displaced people.
In Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, at least 12 people were killed in three separate strikes, according to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and the Nuseirat camp’s Awda Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry and the Palestinian Civil Defence – which operates under the Hamas-run government – reported that 19 people were killed in several strikes in Jabalia in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes.
Read more from Sky News:
How Israel has escalated Gaza bombing campaign
Ceasefire talks are taking place in Qatar this weekend – with Israel saying they involve discussions on ending the war as well as a truce and hostage deal.
A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any lasting truce must include the demilitarisation of Gaza as well as the exile of Hamas militants.
But a senior Israeli official added there had been little progress so far during talks in Qatar’s capital Doha.
Sky News Arabia reported Hamas had proposed freeing about half its Israeli hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
A Palestinian official close to the discussions said: “Hamas is flexible about the number of hostages it can free, but the problem has always been over Israel’s commitment to end the war.”
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