The two cities involved in the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 will be “forever” linked, according to Wichita, Kan. Mayor Lily Wu.
“We mourn with all those who have been impacted,” Wusaid in an emotional press conferenceon Thursday, Jan. 30. “This is a terrible tragedy that will unite those in Washington, D.C. and Wichita, Kansas, forever.”
“We were very honored to have gotten that flight,” Wu said.
The mayor shared on Thursday that the Wichita community had been “so excited to have the opportunity to host the [U.S. Figure Skating] national championship.”
“It was truly an honor to have future Olympians and those who are at the highest competition level of figure skating right here in the capital,” she said.
Among the 60 passengers onboard the regional jetthat collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopterand crashed into the Potomac River at approximately 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 29 included several members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, who were returning from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, U.S. Figure Skating confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE.
Lily Wu (left); The scene of American Airlines flight 5342 after crashing into the Potomac River.NBC; Alex Wong/Getty
NBC; Alex Wong/Getty
The 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships had been held in the city last week.
Among those on the plane were 1994 pairs figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55,ReutersandThe Guardian, citing theTASSand RIA news agencies in Russia, reported.
“Our community needs to come together to support the family members who have been impacted, to come together in honor of those individuals on that flight,” Wu said.
The mayor also noted on Thursday morning that the city did not currently have the flight manifest and could not yet determine how many victims were from Kansas.
She added, “Our hearts are heavy as a city.”
source: people.com
