Teen skaters, group of hunters and students among victims of air crash

WICHITA, KANSAS — 

The victims of a clang betwixt an American Airlines pitchy and an Army chopper included teen fig skaters returning from a nationalist conscionable with their mothers and coaches, an Ohio assemblage pupil coming from her grandfather's funeral, 2 Chinese nationals and a radical of hunters headed backmost from a guided travel successful Kansas.

They were among 60 travelers and 4 unit members connected committee the commercialized formation precocious Wednesday erstwhile it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying 3 soldiers. Officials accidental determination were nary survivors.

As the hunt for remains continued Thursday, communities grieved. Faith leaders held a vigil Thursday successful the metropolis assembly chambers. "The lone mode we volition get done this is together," said the Rev. Pamela Hughes Mason of Wichita's St. Paul AME Church.

American Airlines acceptable up a hotline arsenic good arsenic centers successful Washington and Wichita for radical searching for accusation astir household members who whitethorn person been aboard the downed flight.

Here's what we cognize astir immoderate of the radical killed successful Wednesday night's crash:

From the Skating Club of Boston

Skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, according to Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston. Their mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane, arsenic good arsenic their coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov besides died. Han and Lane, who was astir 16, were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

"We watched Jinna conscionable turn up present from conscionable a tiny small tyke into this amazingly mature 13-year-old," helium said. "A large performer, a large competitor, and disconnected the ice, a large kid."

Spencer Lane, who was from Barrington, Rhode Island, took portion successful his archetypal nonrecreational amusement successful December with Elin Schran's company, Joy Skate Productions.

"He started to observe this transportation with the assemblage and that joyousness that helium was giving to different radical done his gift," Schran said.

In a statement, the Lane household recalled Christine Lane for some her singular talents and her dedication to parenting. "Christine exuded creativity passim her life, utilizing her ceremonial graphic plan grooming arsenic a jumping-off constituent for seemingly endless originative pursuits crossed areas specified arsenic photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She brought adjacent greater passionateness to her relation arsenic a parent to Spencer and his member Milo," the household said.

Their coaches, Shishkova and Naumov, won the pairs rubric astatine the 1994 satellite championships successful Chiba, Japan. The Russia-born brace besides competed doubly successful the Olympics.

More young athletes and coaches

Skating organizations successful Philadelphia and the Washington country besides said immoderate of their young athletes had been aboard the plane.

Several athletes connected the formation had attended a improvement campy held aft the U.S. Figure Skating Championships ended Sunday successful Wichita, Kansas.

Wichita Skating Center manager Sean O'Reilly said the championships brought a "groundswell of positivity," drafting enthusiastic parents and young athletes from crossed the U.S. He was "gutted" to larn immoderate of those skaters had been killed.

In Virginia's Loudoun County, a manager astatine a skating nine was besides identified arsenic among the passengers, Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam confirmed. The club, Ashburn Ice House, said that its "figure skating assemblage has been straight affected," but did not springiness further details.

Students

Students and parents astatine Cedarville University successful Ohio said 1 of the passengers connected the level was Grace Maxwell, a inferior majoring successful mechanical engineering. Maxwell's father, Dean Maxwell, said she was returning to field from her location successful Wichita, Kansas, aft attending her grandfather's funeral, The Wichita Eagle reported.

Grace Maxwell had been moving connected a task this semester to make a hand-stabilizing instrumentality to assistance a lad successful the country provender himself alternatively of relying connected others, the assemblage said successful a statement.

"Grace was a quiescent idiosyncratic with a keen involvement successful helping others done engineering," said Tim Norman, who served arsenic her secondary adviser.

Three different students from schools successful Fairfax County, Virginia, and six parents from the territory were besides connected committee the plane, superintendent Michelle Reid said successful a missive to families. She did not place them, but she said the students were from antithetic schools and that 2 of the parents were existent oregon erstwhile territory staffers.

Chinese citizens, Philippines constabulary officer

Chinese citizens and a bull from the Philippines Philippine Police Col. Pergentino Malabed Jr., who headed the proviso absorption part of the nationalist police, was among the dead.

He had traveled to the U.S. to inspect instrumentality the Philippines was readying to acquisition for its 232,000-member force, according to the Philippine police.

"His untimely passing is simply a profound nonaccomplishment to the Philippine National Police, wherever helium served with honor, with integrity and dedication passim his career," Philippine constabulary said successful a statement.

The Chinese Embassy successful the U.S. said 2 Chinese nationals were besides among the victims. It did not connection further details. The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences for the clang victims and requested the U.S. to "promptly study immoderate advancement with the hunt and rescue and find retired the origin of the mishap arsenic soon arsenic possible."

Hunters headed location from a trip

Seven radical returning from a guided hunting travel successful Kansas were killed, according to a Facebook station by Fowl Plains, the usher service.

The Fowl Plains squad said they had grown adjacent to the hunters connected committee the formation implicit the years and considered them to beryllium household members. The station doesn't place the hunters by name, but it says they had spent the past week connected a guided hunt, "laughing, talking astir our families and sharing memories."

"Heartbroken is an understatement," the institution said.

Members of a Maryland union

Those killed besides included 4 steamfitters, each members of a United Association national section successful suburban Maryland, national leaders said successful a societal media station Thursday.

"Our absorption present is connected providing enactment and attraction to the families of our brothers arsenic we proceed to stitchery much accusation successful the coming days," said the station by UA General President Mark McManus and Chris Madello, the concern manager of Local 602.

From the military

The victims besides see 3 soldiers who were aboard the helicopter. Officials said their remains volition beryllium astatine Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations astatine Dover Air Force Base successful Delaware. That bureau coordinates the dignified transportation of fallen work members. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon details not yet announced.

No identities of the unit person been released. But the woman of 1 of the chopper pilots said connected Facebook that her husband, Andrew Eaves of Noxubee County, Mississippi, was killed.

In a telephone call, Carrie Eaves confirmed the station was hers. "We inquire that you commune for our household and friends and for each the different families that are suffering today. We inquire for bid portion we grieve," her station read.

The 3 soldiers were doing an yearly nighttime proficiency grooming flight, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, adding they were a "fairly experienced crew." Officials were notifying relatives, helium said.