Firefighters on scene of tragic American Airlines plane crash speak out about ‘horrific’ recovery missions
Firefighters responding to the deadly American Airlines plane crash have been left 'emotionally wiped out' by the recovery mission, according to reports.
Emergency services have been desperately working to locate all of the 67 victims after the passenger jet plunged into the Potomac River when it collided with a military helicopter.
Officials confirmed they were not expecting to find any survivors in the days after the tragedy, which took place last Wednesday (29 January).
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In a news briefing yesterday (2 February), Washington DC's Fire and EMS Chief, John A. Donnelly, announced that 55 of the victims had been positively identified.
He explained that he believes crews will be able to recover the bodies of all of those who perished in the incident, however, the location of some victims currently remains unknown.
"If we knew where they were though, we would already have them out," Donnelly said, as per NBC News.
"So, we have some work to do as this salvage operation goes on, and we will absolutely stay here and search until such point as we have everybody."
Col. Francis B. Pera, of the Army Corps of Engineers, added: "Reuniting those lost in this tragic incident is really what keeps us all going."
The update came hours after relatives of those onboard the American Airlines jet and army helicopter gathered at the crash site for a memorial.
More details of who was travelling on the flight from Kansas have been emerging, while the father of the passenger plane's pilot has also spoken out about the loss of his son.
The incident has also taken an emotional toll on emergency responders tasked with retrieving the bodies from the freezing Potomac River.
Teams will attempt to remove the wreckages from the water in a 'lifting operation' today (3 February), before the debris will be loaded onto trucks and taken away for further analysis.
The black boxes have already been recovered from both the plane and the helicopter, which will hopefully allow investigators to piece together what went wrong in the air.
Over 300 responders are involved in the efforts at any given time, officials said - and Donnelly revealed that a few people have found it particularly difficult to handle.
The fire chief revealed that a diver from the Metropolitan Police Department had been taken to hospital for a 'hypothermia situation', but said he has since checked himself out.
"We’re happy to report that he’s doing fine, and that that’s the only injury we have the today," Donnelly said. "For the rest of the day, the salvage crews are continuing to survey the site and get ready for tomorrow."
Another firefighter working at the scene reportedly told journalist Brian Entin that crews are 'emotionally wiped out after seeing the horror up close'.
In a post shared on X, the News Nation correspondent added: "The firefighter I met explained that the water is actually very clear. With flashlights, they saw horrible things when they arrived."
According to Sky News, evidence from the passenger plane's black box indicated that the pilots 'had a verbal reaction' in the last moments before the crash.
Brice Banning, the investigator in charge of the case, said that 'the airplane beginning to increase its pitch' and that 'sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording'.
He said: "This is a complex investigation, there are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data."
Those who lost loved ones in the tragedy 'want answers', according to National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman.
Following the memorial among family members, he said: "Some wanted to give us hugs. Some are just mad and angry. They are just all hurt. And they still want answers, and we want to give them answers."
Topics: American Airlines , Travel, US News, Mental Health
Olivia Burke