Death toll rises after American Airlines plane crashed into Black Hawk as rescue diver reveals underwater 'horrors'

A dozen more victims of the deadly American Airlines and Black Hawk helicopter crash have been identified, as rescue divers detailed the 'horrors' they saw as they tried to salvage the remains. Washington DC crews are continuing to try to recover the bodies of every passenger and crew member onboard American Airlines Flight 5342 Wednesday night Authorities announced Sunday that 55 of the 67 victims of America's deadliest crash since 2001 have been identified More than 300 responders are taking part in the recovery effort at any given time, officials said. Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said Sunday he believes crew members will be able to recover the remains of the 12 other victims of the doomed flight, but they are unsure where the bodies may be The collision occurred just before 9pm on Wednesday when the American Eagle flight was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport It has since been revealed that the Black Hawk helicopter it collided into may have been flying hundreds of feet outside air traffic control's predesignated, approved route for the international airport, just outside of the nation's capitol. Family members of the victims gathered at the crash site on Sunday as they awaited news about their loved ones Everybody on board the American Airlines flight is presumed dead One air traffic controller said to the helicopter pilot: 'PAT 2-5, do you have the CRJ in sight?' Crew members are scheduled to undertake a 'lifting operation' on Monday to remove the wreckage from the river Portions of the aircraft will then be loaded onto flatbed trucks and taken to a hangar for further investigation Wednesday’s crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since November 12, 2001 In the aftermath of the crash, the FAA heavily restricted helicopter traffic around Reagan National, hours after Trump repeated the claims that the Army helicopter was flying higher than allowed.