D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said Friday that the American Airlines plane must be removed from the Potomac River in order to successfully find and recover all 67 bodies from the crash site.
“I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains, that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water,” Donnelly said during a Friday news conference at Reagan National Airport.
Donnelly said that as of 6 a.m. Friday, a total of 41 bodies were recovered from the scene, with 28 passengers positively identified. Next of kin notifications were made to 18 families.
Donnelly said “a lot” of the Friday recovery operations focused on the Black Hawk helicopter. He did not detail what specific operations would be carried out in regards to the military chopper.
“It’s been a tough response for a lot of our people,” he said, noting that around 300 first responders had been participating on the multiagency work. “This is heartbreaking work.”
Police boats were spotted early Friday, as investigators began their second full day into the investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board and in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Asked whether the rainy weather was impacting recovery efforts, Donnelly told reporters that conditions may “slightly” affect progress but that “the weather we’ve seen so far is weather we can work in.”
As for airport operations, Terry Liercke, vice president and manager of the airport, said that Reagan National remained open and operating in a reduced capacity, with two of its three runways closed during recovery operations.
It’s unclear how long the runways will remain closed, but Liercke suggested it could last one week. “It’s a fluid situation, obviously,” he said.
The official explained that the runways were temporarily shuttered as the coordinating flight paths for the tarmacs would directly impact recovery efforts.
Leave the debris be, alert the police
Recovery personnel cordoned off areas along the shoreline with red tents and equipment in order to take in any additional bodies recovered from the water, WTOP’s Kyle Cooper reported from South Capitol Street.
“Boats have been pulling up here and remains are transferred to an ambulance — all under the direction of the D.C Medical Examiner’s Office,” Cooper said, adding that authorities asked the public to not disturb any potential crash debris that washes ashore.
At Waterfront Park in Alexandria, there’s a sign saying that if any debris is found, call 911. Other waterfront locations have areas that are closed, such as at Gravelly Point and parts of the waterfront at National Harbor, to make sure debris is not disturbed.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments said that leaving debris alone is “critical to supporting the impacted families and investigation.”
Parts of East Potomac Park are closed as well, but someone did leave behind flowers and a note which reads in part, “We will never forget you, God bless you.”
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