The president of the United States, Donald Trump, described Thursday as a “dark and strenuous night” , collided and rushed to the icy waters of the Potomac River.
“It has been a dark and strenuous night in the capital of our nation and in our history, a tragedy of terrible proportions. As a nation, we cry for every precious soul that has been taken to us, ”Trump said Thursday in an appearance in the White House press room.
Upon entering the room, full of journalists, the president asked to keep a moment of silence in memory of the victims and said that the United States is going through hours of “anguish.”
“We are a single family and today we are all with a broken heart. We look for answers in that icy, icy potomac. It was a cold night, a cold water. We are overwhelmed by the pain of so many who have perished tragically and will no longer be with us, ”said Trump.
After a few words of Consuelo, the president quickly blamed what happened to the standards established by the governments of Barack Obama (2009-2017) and Joe Biden (2021-2025) in the hiring of air controllers, with special emphasis on the programs implemented by both leaders to promote diversity.
“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been hiring workers with severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion initiative,” he said.
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Responsibility of the “FAA”
Trump insisted that for aerial controllers he loves “someone intellectually superior” and criticized the programs of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which he has ordered to dismantle through an executive order from his return to the White House on January 20.
The US president also announced the immediate appointment of Chris Rocheeau, a veteran with 22 years of FAA experience, as the new administrator of the agency. Rocheleau must be confirmed by the Senate, as a republican majority, before assuming the position.
Trump described the accident as a “confluence of bad decisions,” questioned the trajectory of the helicopter and the fact that it was at the same height as the commercial plane, although the flight conditions were optimal, with a clear sky and without strong winds.
The authorities ruled out this Thursday that there are survivors of the accident, the most serious in the United States since 2001.
On Wednesday night, a Black Hawk military helicopter, with three people on board, and a Bombardier Crj700 commercial plane from American Eagle, regional subsidiary of American Airlines, with 60 passengers and four crew members, collided when the latter approached the track 33 of the Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA).
The rescue teams, who worked throughout the night in the icy waters of Potomac, have recovered 28 bodies and have gone from a rescue mission to a recovery, authorities reported.
The Ronald Reagan National Airport of Washington, where the wrecked plane from Wichita (Kansas) had to land, closed after the accident, but reopened today at 11:00 local time (16.00 GMT).
With EFE information.
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