United States: Trump’s new term marred by tragedy

There are no survivors following the collision of a military helicopter and an airliner in Washington, D.C. on the night of January 29-30.

With a total of 67 victims, this incident, which occurred a few days after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, is the deadliest air disaster in the United States since November 2001.

For the time being, it is impossible to establish or rule out human error or a mechanical incident, Todd Inman, head of the US Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB), said.

According to reports, staffing levels in the control tower at Ronald Reagan airport were not at their normal level at the time of the disaster.

“The controller in charge of helicopters in the airport area on Wednesday evening was also giving instructions to planes landing and taking off. (…) These functions are typically assigned to two controllers rather than one,” reads the preliminary report from the US aviation regulator (FAA), quoted by the New York Times.

These reports have not yet been confirmed by the investigators.