Everyone was preparing to go to sleep on January 29 when the bad news hit. PSA Airlines operated American Eagle flight 5342 was on its way from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA). Suddenly, it collided with a Sikorsky H-60. The flight had 64 on board (60 passengers and 4 crew), and while fatalities have been confirmed, there are no survivors pulled out by rescue crews yet. Jayden Daniels‘ predecessor at the Commanders, Robert Griffin III, has stirred emotions with his message.

Once he got the news, he tweeted, “Prayers up for everyone involved in the plane crash at DCA 🙏🏾” The UH-60 Army helicopter, based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was carrying 3 soldiers. The local authorities started the rescue operations immediately, followed by investigations into the accident.

Around 8:53 pm local time, the police authorities started receiving calls about an accident. As the news spread, newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reached the Federal Aviation Administration’s headquarters in Washington, DC, monitoring the rescue operations. It was a brutal collision.

After hitting the military helicopter, the plane split in 2. As of this update, the divers had pulled around 18 bodies from the river. When informed about the accident, President Trump also shared a message, “May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders.”

The local people heard a loud bang when the collision happened. The incident was met by a wave of prayers and sympathy on social media for the victims.

Sympathy messages pour in for the Washington Plane survivors

While one person wrote, “Prayers for everyone,” for the survivors, another person also offered condolences. Feeling sorry for the people involved in the accident, the person tweeted, “Prayers for everyone involved.” Everyone felt bad. And once news spread, more and more tweets came in after Robert Griffin III.

Super Bowl winner Antonio Brown also sympathized with the deceased, tweeting out 1-word to explain his feelings that read, “Prayers.” The situation became a lot more emotional as families and friends were already at the airport to receive their loved ones. Authorities set up a temporary camp with counselors to calm down the wailing people.

While more than 300 responders were carrying out search and rescue, Jack Potter, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, announced the airport closure for around 12 hours till 11 a.m. ET Thursday. There were reports that it was one of the deadliest air disasters in Washington since 1982 when an Air Florida Flight crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, connecting Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom also headed to Washington to support the employees and staff. Prayer warriors also prayed for the families of the victims. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.