Several members of the ice skating community were on the American Airlines flight that crashed near Ronald Regan National Airport on Wednesday evening.
Figure skaters from both the U.S. and Russia were among the 64 people onboard the flight that collided with a military helicopter.
U.S. Figure Skating said athletes, coaches and family members were returning from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with championships held in Kansas, Reuters reported.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said.
The Kremlin also confirmed that Russian skaters and other Russian nationals were on board.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters on Thursday that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who are internationally renowned skaters, were aboard, The Associated Press reported.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” Peskov said.
Authorities confirmed Thursday morning that they were moving their operation from a rescue mission to a recovery mission, noting that there were no survivors.
