 "President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, on Thursday. AP")
US President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed there were “no survivors” after a military helicopter collided midair with a passenger plane carrying 64 people.
“I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation,” AFP quoted Trump as saying at the White House after the crash in Washington.
“The work has now shifted to a recovery mission. Sadly, there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital,” he added.
“We are all heartbroken, we are all searching for answers. That icy, icy Potomac… cold water,” he continued.
Trump, on behalf of the First Lady, himself, and the 340 million Americans, said that their hearts were broken alongside those affected, and their thoughts and prayers would be with them now and in the days to come.
He said that his administration will find out how this disaster happened and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
“We did not know what led to this crash but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” The Guardian quoted Trump as saying.
“We have some pretty good ideas … we’ll find out how this disaster occurred and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” he added.
He said the FAA, NTSB and the US military will be carrying out a “systematic and comprehensive” investigation.
Trump said the military helicopter was on an “unbelievably bad” trajectory when it collided midair with the passenger plane.
The helicopter was “going at an angle that was unbelievably bad,” Trump was quoted as saying.
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More Shorts“The air traffic controller said, ‘Do you see… Do you see him?’ But there was very little time left when that was stated,” the president added, blaming a “confluence of bad decisions.”
Trump blamed diversity policies under Barack Obama and Joe Biden for poor safety standards after the deadly crash.
“I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first,” AFP quoted Trump as saying.
“They actually came out with a directive: ’too white.’ And we want the people that are competent,” he added.
Trump also blasted Pete Buttigieg, who served as Transportation secretary during the Biden administration.
“He’s a disaster now. He’s just got a good line of bullshit," Trump said of Buttigieg. “Well he runs it, 45,000 people, and he’s run it right into the ground with his diversity.”
With inputs from agencies