Donald Trump has stoked conspiracy theories about the shocking plane crash in Washington DC, as rescue teams carrying out a frantic search for survivors scour the site.
The US President took to social media after an American Airlines flight with 60 passengers on board collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers near Reagan National Airport around 9pm local time (3am GMT).
Local officials have not yet confirmed any fatalities or survivors, while emergency personnel sift through the debris scattered in the Potomac river under “very dark and cold conditions”. Mr Trump initially issued a routine statement, informing the public he had been “fully briefed” and expressing gratitude towards the emergency services for their prompt action.
However, his subsequent posts on his personal account have inflamed conspiracy talk by questioning why the plane, which he alleged was “on a perfect and routine line of approach”, crashed into the helicopter.
Using Truth Social, the Commander-in-Chief asserted that the American Airlines jet was “blazing” its lights while coming into land, saying: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing.”
Mr Trump then queried why the helicopter “didn’t go up or down” and raised questions about the potential role air traffic controllers may have played in what he described as a “bad situation“.
His words: “Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD! ! ! ” Contrastingly, local officials coordinating rescue efforts have provided different insights with first responders still trying to verify key facts regarding the incident.
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DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly reported that boats swiftly located aircraft debris, but current information doesn’t confirm whether there are survivors. The official mentioned that further details would only be forthcoming after emergency teams have more time to go through the wreckage, reports the Mirror.
He committed to providing more information, stating: “We will re-evaluate where we are with a rescue operation in the morning, when we get a better sense of it.”
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