President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed sadness over the death of at least 18 persons in an air accident in Washington DC, United States. President Tinubu, in a statement on Thursday, said he is deeply saddened by the incident which occurred in Washington D.C. BatVanguard gathered that a tragic mid-air collision that occurred near Washington, D.C., involving an American Airlines commercial jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, left 67 people unaccounted for. The American Eagle Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night when it collided with the military helicopter, which had three crew members onboard. In a post via his verified X handle on Thursday, Tinubu commiserated with the families of the victims, the people of the United States, and all affected by the sad incident. He added that Nigeria stands in solidarity with the USA in their time of grief. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic incident in Washington, D.C. “On behalf of Nigeria, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people of the United States, and all affected by this profound loss. I commend the courageous efforts of first responders and emergency teams for their selfless work in harsh conditions. “Nigeria stands in solidarity with the United States Government and its People, united in grief and hopeful for a new day,” the statement read. Meanwhile, US Donald Trump believes the crash between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a military helicopter ‘should have been prevented.’ The president initially delivered a statement hoping that God would bless the souls of the victims as emergency services search the Potomac River near the airport for survivors following the incident. In a post to the Trump-owned Truth Social later in the evening, Trump raised several questions about the crash, which took place at 8.48pm on Wednesday. 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, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn,’ he asked. Trump continued: ‘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!!!’ He wrote a short follow-up post on Truth Social saying: ‘What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!’ Post navigation President Tinubu: steady power is my priority.
