Crews are expected to remove the cockpit of the American Airlines jet from the Potomac River as they continue recovery efforts from last week's fatal mid-air collision that killed 67 people near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Recovery efforts continue after crews were able to remove a large portion of the jet on Monday. Crews were able to remove the first of two engines, the fuselage and a wing.
A D.C. Fire & EMS official said Monday afternoon that crews recovered additional remains Monday but that those remains have not been positively identified yet. Authorities have identified 55 out of the 67 people killed in the collision, leaving 12 left to be accounted for.
Army Corps of Engineers said their salvage work Monday was successful and included some pauses for recovering the remains of victims.
Authorities have said the operation to remove the plane will take several days and they will then work to remove the military helicopter involved in the crash.
More than 300 responders are taking part in the recovery effort at any given time, officials said.
Divers and salvage workers have been adhering to strict protocols and will stop moving debris if a body is found, Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday. The “dignified recovery” of remains takes precedence over all else, he said.