The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - commonly known as the black boxes - from the American Airlines plane have now been recovered, the US National Transportation Safety Board told CNN.
CNN added that divers searched all accessible areas at the accident scene on the Potomac River on January 30, local time.
Rescue efforts and investigations are underway, according to the local fire department. The US National Transportation Safety Board and divers will search for parts of the plane and begin salvage operations on January 31.
According to the Washington DC Fire Department, boats were deployed to stay at the scene to ensure security and search the water overnight.
Regarding the developments before the plane crash, an air traffic control source shared with CNN that at the time of the collision, there was only 1 air traffic controller working at 2 air traffic tower positions, handling both helicopter traffic and local traffic.
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said it is not unusual or uncommon for air traffic controllers to wear multiple hats. "This is an incredibly complex job that we do every day, with changes in weather, air currents, and airspace. So it is not unusual for positions to be combined or not combined," he said.
Regarding the American Airlines crash, Mr. Daniels said he could not speak specifically because the incident was still under investigation.
At least two of the 60 passengers on board the commercial jet that collided with a military helicopter outside Washington DC on the night of January 29 were Latin Americans, a source told CNN. One was an elderly male born in Argentina and the other was the man’s adult son from Chile.
The Chinese Embassy in the United States said on January 30 that according to preliminary information, two Chinese citizens were among the victims of the mid-air collision that occurred near Reagan National Airport.
According to CNN, search efforts are suspended until January 31, local time. Authorities found at least eight bodies at the scene on January 30 and 14 victims are still missing.