The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered from the plane involved in a fatal mid-air collision with a US military helicopter in Washington DC.
All 67 people onboard both aircraft died, with as many as 14 skaters and coaches, including two 16-year-olds and a married pair of world champions, believed to be on the American Airlines plane.
Authorities said it was too soon to determine the causes of the disaster, despite earlier claims that the staffing levels in the air traffic control tower at the time of the fatal collision were “not normal”. The National Transportation Safety Board has pledged to release a preliminary report within 30 days.
Top news
Australian music festival Groovin the Moo cancelled for second year in a row
‘Doing this to ourselves’: misinformation threat is local, Australian Electoral Commission warns
Human Rights Commission considers discrimination complaint against Peter Dutton over Gaza comments
Police charge man allegedly behind famous ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti on Melbourne landmarks
UN chief urges evacuation of 2,500 children from Gaza as doctors warn of ‘imminent risk’ of death
Four years after the coup, chaos reigns as Myanmar’s military struggles
In pictures
We look at some of the most striking images from January – including this photograph of Lisa Ashdown cutting kangaroo paw to sell from her property in rural Victoria, which was razed in bushfires last year.
What they said …
***
“God help us in the future. We are going to have a workforce of clinical marshmellows!”
An email calling resident doctors “a workforce of clinical marshmellows [sic]” has been sent in error by a medical administration manager at a New South Wales hospital. The local health district apologised for the stuff-up, as the doctors’ union called the message “tone-deaf” and “unacceptable”.
In numbers
Authorities have texted thousands of potential victims targeted by online scammers, who used dating apps to trick them into fake relationships, and deceive them into transferring money.
Before bed read
David Beckham is modelling in his underwear again, this time at 50. Tim Dowling believes the move will cause “a shift in the acceptable minimum standards for the male physique”, just when he thought that maybe the dad bod was back in style.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RAKE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.
