European Commission Chairman Von Der Leyen said it was “with deep sadness” that he received the “news of the terrible accident between an airplane and a helicopter in Washington DC.”
In a publication on social network X, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said it was “with deep sadness” who received the “news of the terrible accident between an airplane and a helicopter in Washington DC.”
“Europe is with the families of the victims at this difficult time – and the American people as a whole. Our hearts and thoughts are with you,” said the leader of the community executive.
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, indicated on the same social network to be “shocked by the news of the tragic accident“.
“My heart is with the victims, their families and their loved ones. Europe is next to the American people in this sad moment,” he added.
Also the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said she was “devastated by the tragic news of the air collision.”
“My thoughts are with the passenger families, the crew on board and the soldiers during this painful moment,” concluded the high EU representative for foreign business and security policy.
An American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew collided on Wednesday night with an Army helicopter during the landing at Ronald Reagan airport near Washington, starting a major search and rescue operation on Potomac River where the aircraft fell.
Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, an army officer said.
Rescue teams have already recovered 19 bodies of the accident, according to police sources, cited by television .
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States stated that the accident occurred around 21:00 on Wednesday, local time (02:00 this Thursday, in Lisbon).
The regional plane from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter, which was conducting a training flight during the airport track in Washington.
The causes of the collision are not yet known, but all the airport’s coolings and landings have been interrupted while the dive teams inspect the site and the helicopters of the security and rescue agencies flying the site in search of bodies.
The accident occurred in one of the world’s most controlled and monitored air spaces, just over five kilometers south of the White House and the US Congress.
