Death of Russian Nationals in Washington Plane Crash

World figure skating champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov may have been on board.

Russian nationals were on board the American Airlines plane that crashed in Washington, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia.

Peskov expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims but did not disclose the exact number of Russian citizens who lost their lives.

According to RIA Novosti, 14 figure skaters were among the passengers. World figure skating champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov may have also been on board.

The U.S. Figure Skating Association confirmed that athletes and their family members were among the passengers on the aircraft.

«We will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as more information becomes available,» the organisation stated.

At 9:00 p.m. local time, an American Airlines plane collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter over Washington. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River. The plane had 64 people on board, while the helicopter carried three crew members.

According to CBS News, rescuers have so far recovered 19 bodies from the river. No survivors have been found.