Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding addresses 'devastating' American Airlines collision

Two-time US Olympian Tonya Harding was among those mourning the losses from a Washington DC level crash, which she called 'absolutely devastating.'

Harding, 54, shared her thoughts on the tragic American Airlines and Army helicopter collision that unfolded Wednesday evening and claimed the lives of 67 people - six of whom were revealed to beryllium members of the Skating Club of Boston.

'The events that took spot past nighttime successful Washington, DC are perfectly devastating,' Harding posted connected X, adding a breached bosom emoji.

'I'm being told that respective nonrecreational fig skaters were aboard the formation arsenic well. Sending my emotion and prayers to each the victims and their families.' 

US Figure Skating released its ain connection connected Thursday greeting confirming that respective of their precise ain were aboard the fatal flight.

'These athletes, coaches, and household members were returning location from the National Development Camp held successful conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships successful Wichita, Kansas,' the post connected X read.

'We are devastated by this unspeakable calamity and clasp the victims' families intimately successful our hearts.'

Harding's station came conscionable hours aft Nancy Kerrigan, her long-time rival, broke down successful tears arsenic she spoke to reporters connected Thursday extracurricular the Boston skating club.

Kerrigan, 55, said she stayed up watching the quality each nighttime aft learning astir the tragic events that occurred connected Wednesday night.

'We’ve been done tragedies earlier arsenic Americans, arsenic people, and we’re strong. I conjecture it’s however we respond to it and my effect is to beryllium with radical I attraction about,' she said. 'We conscionable wanted to beryllium present and beryllium portion of our community. 

'I needed support, truthful that’s wherefore I’m here. It's a shock. I was watching each nighttime (on television) and erstwhile you find retired you cognize immoderate of the radical connected the level it is an adjacent bigger blow. 

'We conscionable privation them well, the families, the courageousness and the spot to marque the adjacent steps.'

Kerrigan is known worldwide for being embroiled successful 1 of the biggest scandals successful athletics when, successful 1994, she was attacked and struck crossed the genu with a baton and near incapable to vie successful the upcoming US Figure Skating Championships.

It aboriginal emerged the onslaught was planned by Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, who aimed astatine stopping her competing successful the Winter Olympics that year, too.

Gillooly hired assailant Shane Stant and his uncle to transportation retired the onslaught successful Detroit, Michigan. Harding herself has ever denied immoderate cognition astir the plans.

Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, announced the names of the six radical associated with his nine who were connected board.

They are: Jinna Han, Jin Han, Spencer Lane, Christine Lane, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.

In total, helium said determination were at slightest 14 radical connected the level associated with the fig skating group. 

His announcement came after Spencer Lane shared a photograph from inside the doomed level soon earlier it crashed. 

The 16-year-old uploaded the photograph astir 7pm ET Wednesday, which appeared to amusement the pitchy taxiing connected the runway astatine Wichita Airport before it took disconnected for its last flight.

He captioned it ICT -> DCA - the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

Other elite members of the American fig skating squad who were expected astatine the adjacent wintertime Olympics were besides onboard the plane, a bombardier CRJ700.

In a statement, Zeghibe said: 'Our athletics and this Club person suffered a horrible nonaccomplishment with this tragedy. 

'Skating is simply a tight-knit assemblage wherever parents and kids travel unneurotic 6 oregon 7 days a week to bid and enactment together. Everyone is similar family. 

'Of the skaters, coaches and parents connected the plane, we judge six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and wholly astatine a nonaccomplishment for words.

'These athletes, coaches and parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Camp, pursuing past week's U.S. Championships successful Wichita. 

'This campy is for young competitory skaters of time with the astir committedness to beryllium a champion of tomorrow. The Club sent 18 athletes to vie astatine the U.S. Championships. It sent 12 athletes to the nationalist improvement camp.'

Two of the youngest victims of the deadly crash have besides been identified arsenic an up-and-coming younker crystal skating duo.

Youth crystal creation partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay were connected the fateful formation backmost from the US Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp erstwhile they were killed alongside their coach, Alexandr Kirsanov. 

The collision successful DC connected Wednesday took spot arsenic the American Airlines formation carrying 64 radical made its last attack to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport soon earlier 9pm ET.

A Black Hawk chopper chopped done the airspace from the other absorption nether screen of darkness, with some craft seemingly unaware of the other's presence.

They slammed into 1 different conscionable 400ft supra ground, erupting successful a convulsive detonation earlier plunging into the freezing Potomac River below. 

The horrific mishap prompted a large-scale hunt and rescue cognition implicit the stream arsenic helicopters, boats and constabulary searched the h2o and ground. 

First responders person recovered astatine slightest 28 bodies from the icy waters connected Thursday arsenic betterment operations continue.

There were 64 radical connected committee the commercialized flight, including 4 unit members. 

Three soldiers were aboard the chopper that was connected a grooming formation astatine the clip of the crash.

All of those connected committee some aircrafts were killed, making Wednesday's horrific collision the country's deadliest aviation disaster since 2001.