As The Death Toll Increases, Rescue Crews Describe The “Horrors” They Witnessed Underwater While Attempting To Recover The Remains Of American Airlines Disaster Victims

The bodies of those killed in last week’s DC aircraft crash are still being sought.

On Wednesday, January 29, a 64-person American Airlines aircraft and an Army chopper carrying three soldiers collided.

Rescue crews are still trying to recover the dead after the two planes crashed into the Potomac River.

Of the 67 fatalities, 55 had been recovered from the water as of this writing.

It has been said that the rescue teams are operating in “tough” conditions.

Matthew Schanck, an international maritime Search and Rescue & Emergency Response Expert, told BBC News, “There’s ice in the river, it’s particularly cold and that makes it very challenging to [rescue] crews.”

“There’s not a lot of time to really try and locate any survivors and rescue them because of the cold.”

One diver from the Metropolitan Police Department had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of a “hypothermia situation” because to the extremely chilly waters.

According to Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, the diver in issue has since been freed and is “doing fine.”

“We’re happy to report that he’s doing fine, and that that’s the only injury we have the today,” the chief shared, as per NBC News.

He added yesterday (February 2): “For the rest of the day, the salvage crews are continuing to survey the site and get ready for tomorrow.”

Rescue workers have spoken out about the ‘horrors’ they have witnessed thus far in other places.

A firefighter informed Brian Entin of NewsNation that they were all “emotionally wiped out after seeing the horror [of the crash] up close.”

In a follow-up tweet, Entin went on to share, “The firefighter I met explained that the water is actually very clear. With flashlights, they saw horrible things when they arrived.”

Although there are still many unanswered questions regarding the events leading up to last week’s deadly disaster, officials are hopeful that the two aircraft black boxes will help them piece the tragedy together.

Speaking about the importance of the devices, senior Army aviation adviser Jonathan Koziol said: “There’s a lot of experts out there, but until we get the data from the black boxes, that’s the only truth, and we won’t know that for a little bit.”

Please SHARE this shocking story with family and friends and let us know what you think in the comments!

 

Related Posts

Trump’s Claim of an “Exact Date” for $2,000 Checks

Donald Trump’s recent announcement, in which he suggested a specific date when Americans might expect $2,000 in direct payments, instantly ignited a nationwide conversation. What made the…

Tim McGraw shares heartbreaking family moment for him and … See more

Country music legend Tim McGraw moved fans to tears today as he shared a deeply personal and heartbreaking family moment. The 56-year-old superstar posted a vulnerable tribute…

Beloved TV star dies of cancer aged just 61

The cameras never showed this part. For decades, she held the nation in the palm of her hand, grilling presidents, serenading stars, and guiding viewers through chaos…

Jenna Bush Hager shares why she won’t be on TODAY for a while: “a significant shift in the amount of relatives.”

Jenna Bush Hager, beloved co-host of NBC’s TODAY show, recently announced that she will be stepping away from the program for a short period. Fans and viewers…

Nicole Kidman posing half-nak*d with her legs spread wide is something married men are forbidden to look at! 👇See photos in comments👇

Nicole Kidman’s new photos hit the internet like a lightning strike. In minutes, praise, shock, and controversy flooded timelines. But behind the flawless styling and viral comments…

Wendy Auger is trying to keep her personalized license plate.

Wendy Auger never imagined her family’s silly reminder would become a state battle. For fifteen years, “PB4WEGO” made strangers laugh. Now New Hampshire calls it “offensive.” A…