The President of the United States Donald Trump responded to the disaster involving a Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter near Washington, which occurred on January 30, according to CBS News.
In his post on the social media platform Truth Social, he described the situation as "bad" and emphasized that the disaster could have been avoided.
"The plane was on a perfect and familiar approach path to the airport. The helicopter was heading straight towards the plane for a long time. It was a clear night, and the plane had its lights on. Why didn’t the helicopter ascend or turn back? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they could see the plane? This is a bad situation that seems like it could have been prevented!!!" he wrote.
According to the publication, the bodies of 18 victims have already been recovered from the Potomac River. Police stated that no survivors have been found so far. The search and rescue operation is being hampered by cold weather and strong winds.
Air Disaster in the U.S. on January 30: What We Know
As previously reported by UNIAN, a passenger plane crashed in Washington after colliding with a helicopter. The list of passengers included 60 individuals and four crew members. There were three military personnel on board the helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the Bombardier CRJ700 was on a scheduled flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington.
Surveillance video shows the plane, which was landing at Ronald Reagan Airport, colliding with another aircraft, resulting in an explosion.