Muslim woman among those killed in mid-air collision near Washington
A 26-year-old Muslim woman was among those killed in Wednesday night’s crash between a regional passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.
Asra Hussain was among the 64 people feared dead.
They were on the passenger plane that was arriving at Ronald Reagan International airport from Wichita, Kansas.
The three people aboard the helicopter were also killed.
Hussain, who had gone to Wichita for work, had messaged her husband Hamaad Raza at 8 pm shortly before the accident, saying” ‘We are landing in 20 minutes”.
Raza told WFIU/WTIU News in Indiana that she was returning from a work trip where she was helping to improve a hospital that he said really needed help.
Hussain graduated from Indiana University in 2020 with a degree in Healthcare Management and Policy.
Her flight, which was flown by American Airlines regional subsidiary American Eagle, was struck by a Black Hawk helicopter on an Army training sortie.
The accident occurred around 9 p.m. near Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the FAA.
The plane crashed into the Potomac River.
Footage showed the wreckage floating in the water as search efforts continued.
Officials are working to reunite victims with their families.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.