Originally appeared on E! Online
Hamaad Raza, whose wife was involved in the horrific Washington D.C. plane crash, shared the final text she sent to him before the tragedy.
American Eagle Flight 5342, which was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with an army helicopter Jan. 29.
And just minutes before the fatal collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Raza received a message from his wife aboard the plane.
"She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes,” he told WUSA that night. "The rest of my texts did not get delivered, that's when I realized something might be up.”
“I’m just praying that somebody is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” he continued. "I'm just praying to God."
So far, 28 bodies have been recovered, with nearly two dozen rescue teams working on finding and identifying the victims. But as of this morning, D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly shared a devastating update.
READ: American Airlines Plane Crashes Into Potomac River After Mid-Air Collision With Army Helicopter
“We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” Donnelly said during a press conference, per NBC News. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
Among others aboard the aircraft were American figure skaters, per a statement released by U.S. Figure Skating, as well as their coaches and family members who had been at camp in Wichita.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” the organization shared in a statement obtained by NBC News. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts."
Russian media outlets reported the American Airlines flight also had Russian figure skaters and coaches, including World champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, onboard.
"Bad news from Washington today," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in his daily news conference, per the outlet. "We grieve and console with the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in this plane crash."
Sean Duffy, who was confirmed as Secretary of Transportation on Wednesday, said that “we are going to take responsibility” to make sure that “these mistakes do not happen again.”
As for the helicopter involved in the collision, the U.S. Army Black Hawk was, according to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, carrying three people. Shortly after, President Donald Trump spoke out about the incident on Truth Social.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented," he wrote Jan. 29, "NOT GOOD!!!”
And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has since agreed with the President’s assessment.
“Everything was standard in the lead up to the crash,” Duffy told reporters Jan. 30, per NBC News. “Obviously something happened here. To back up what the president said, what I’ve seen so far. Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
But while many questions surrounding the disastrous crash remain, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine urged people to refrain from conjecturing.
“Sorrow, thanks and questions,” he said at a Jan. 30 news conference, “as all have expressed, to the crew, to the passengers, to the soldiers, to their families, to their friends, to their loved ones, to people who are still trying to get information and unsure whether their loved ones have been lost. We offer our profound condolences to them and our sorrow for this tragedy.”
Acknowledging that much is left unknown, he added, “It’s not a time to speculate. It’s a time to investigate and get answers to the questions we need, and I’m confident that will be done.”
Listen to a recording from air traffic control the moment a military helicopter collided with a passenger jet at DCA.
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