King Charles issued a poignant statement in light of the devastating American Airlines plane crash, which saw 67 people lose their lives on Wednesday.
Buckingham Palace released the monarch’s sombre message on Saturday afternoon, reading: “My family and I have been profoundly shocked and saddened by the dreadful news of the tragic air accident in Washington, D.C., which has led to such a devastating loss of life.
Our hearts, and our special thoughts, are with the people of the United States and our deepest possible sympathy goes to the families and loved ones of all the victims.
“I would also like to pay a particular tribute to the emergency responders who acted so quickly to this horrendous event.”
The message was signed as “Charles R.”, with the R standing for “Rex”, or King in Latin.
On Wednesday evening a small American Airlines plane exploded mid-flight near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. The aircraft plunged into the Potomac River in the nation’s capital just after 9pm local time, following a collision with a US army Blackhawk helicopter.
Shortly after, fireboats were seen rushing to the scene, accompanied by vehicles carrying first responders and investigators from various agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Authorities are going through the horrible process of identifying the victims found so far, as families of people on board are forced to wait to have their worst fears confirmed.
A few minutes before it was scheduled to land, the American Eagle flight was given permission to approach runway 33. Just seconds before the aircraft crashed air traffic controllers checked with the helicopter pilot that they had the arriving plane in sight.
Horrifying footage shows a flash of light in the sky at 8:47pm local time (1:47am UK time) appearing to show the moment the aircraft exploded into flames.
Just a minute later an alert was sounded at 8.48pm local time, the first units arrived on the scene at 8.58pm, 11 minutes after the devastating crash, and found an aircraft in the water.
Less than half a minute before the tragic collision, an air traffic controller queried the helicopter if it had visual contact with the plane. The controller then made another radio call to the helicopter, instructing “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ” – indicating that the helicopter should allow the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass first.
However, there was no response and the two aircraft collided moments later. The plane’s radio transponder ceased transmission approximately 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the centre of the Potomac. Officials discovered the main body of the aircraft in three sections, upside-down in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also located in the river.
