In reference to the victims, Parker said, “Our city continues to mourn their loss and they are in our thoughts and prayers.”
The catastrophe happened two days after a Black Hawk military helicopter and an American Airlines passenger flight collided fatally in midair in Washington, DC. All 64 persons on board.
The plane and three troops on the helicopter perished in the collision, which occurred close to Reagan National Airport and resulted in both planes crashing in the Potomac River.