'Beloved' members of Philadelphia Skating Club killed in DC plane crash, club says

A national tragedy is hitting close to home for a local ice skating club as they mourn the devastating loss of fellow athletes, along with their own members, who were all on their way home from doing what they loved when the unthinkable happened.

What we know:

In a statement to FOX 29, the Philadelphia Ice Skating Club and Humane Society said that "beloved" members were among those killed when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night:

"The Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society is devastated to learn of the crash in Washington D.C. that took the lives of several members of the figure skating community, including beloved members of our club. We feel immense grief at the loss of so many talented skaters, their coaches and families. Sadly, one of the families lost just became members of our club and another shared his talent with us at our recent 175th Anniversary Gala. We share this loss and grief with the entire USFS Community. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone during this tragic time."

Meanwhile, three other individuals in the Delaware figure skating community were named as victims of the doomed flight. Delaware Senator Chris Coons stated a former coach at the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov, a fixture at the High Performance Training Center on the university's campus was traveling with two young skaters, ice dance partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay. 

What we don't know:

The identities of those members lost by the Philadelphia Ice Skating Club and Humane Society have yet to be released.

The club says they will not be releasing any additional information at this time as we await updates from US Figure Skating.

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