‘She’d call to say, I love you’: Husband grieves Pakistani woman killed in DC air crash

An undated photo of Hamaad Raza and Asra Hussain (right) who lost her life in the crash of American Eagle flight 5342 in Washington DC, United States, on January 30, 2025. (Photo Courtesy: Social Media/Hamaad Raza)
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Updated 31 January 2025
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‘She’d call to say, I love you’: Husband grieves Pakistani woman killed in DC air crash

  • Asra Hussain Raza sent a text to her husband from the doomed flight, saying she would land in about 20 minutes
  • World champion figure skaters, pilot planning his wedding, teenage skaters seen as “future of the sport” among 67 victims

World champion figure skaters, a pilot planning his wedding, teenage skaters seen as the “future of the sport” and a Pakistani consultant with dreams of improving public health were among the 67 victims of the deadly midair collision between a commercial jet and a US Army helicopter near Washington.

All 64 people aboard the American Eagle flight that took off from Wichita, Kansas, including 60 passengers and four crew members, and all three soldiers aboard the helicopter were killed when the two aircraft slammed into each other on Wednesday night, causing a fiery explosion.

Here is what we know about some of the victims:

ASRA HUSSAIN RAZA

Raza, 26, sent a text to her husband, Hamaad, from the doomed flight as they approached Washington, saying she would land in about 20 minutes.
Hamaad Raza, 25, who was waiting at the airport for her arrival, never received another message, his father, Hashim Raza, told Reuters.
“Asra was everything to us,” Hashim Raza, holding back tears with a quavering voice, said in a telephone interview as he traveled from Missouri to Washington to meet his son. “And now my son is a widower at 25. What do I say to him? They planned to have children, they were so much looking forward to that.”
The couple met at Indiana University Bloomington, where she studied corporate finance and was a straight-A student.
Hashim Raza said when his son first met Asra, he declared, “I’m going to marry her.”
Asra Hussain Raza later earned her master’s degree in public health from Columbia University and got a job with a consulting group in Washington, with the ultimate goal of working for the government to improve public health, her father-in-law said.
“All she wanted to do was help people, and DC, she thought, was the place to achieve her goals,” Raza said. “And she was such a great cook — Indian, Italian, Chinese food. I told her to open a restaurant.”
She traveled to Wichita about once or twice a month to help turn around a hospital, he said.
“She was an extremely caring person,” he said. “She’d call just to say, ‘I love you.’”

SPENCER LANE AND JINNA HAN

In 2022, Spencer watched Nathan Chen, the superstar American figure skater, win a gold medal at the Olympics and decided he wanted to take up skating too, his father, Douglas Lane, told WPRI in Rhode Island.
Three years later, the 16-year-old had proven to be a prodigy, qualifying for an elite national training camp in Wichita reserved for young athletes that his skating club’s executive director, Doug Zeghibe, described as “the future of the sport.”
“He just loved it,” Spencer’s father said. “There wasn’t anyone pushing him. He was just somebody who loved it and had natural talent but also just worked every day.”
“He was all-in on figure skating,” Douglas Lane said.
Shortly before taking off, Spencer posted a photo of the wing of the plane on Instagram, according to media reports. In another post, he said qualifying for the camp had been a longtime goal and that the training was an “amazing experience.”
Jinna, 13, had also qualified for the camp, which followed last week’s US national figure skating championship in Kansas.
Both Spencer and Jinna trained almost every day at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, according to Zeghibe, the club’s director. The Lane family lived in Rhode Island, and the Han family lived in the Boston area.
Jinna was a “wonderful kid,” Zeghibe said.
“Wonderful parents, great athlete, great competitor, loved by all,” he told reporters.
Spencer’s mother, Christine, and Jinna’s mother, Jin, were also on the plane. Both were “role model parents” who made a lot of sacrifices to help their children excel in the sport, Zeghibe said.

THE LIVINGSTON FAMILY

Everly and Alydia Livingston — aged 14 and 11, respectively, and known on social media as the “Ice Skating Sisters” — were among those killed in the crash, according to the Kansas City Star newspaper. Their parents, Peter and Donna, were also on the plane.
Alydia was the youngest of the several skaters on the flight and “was known for her vivacious personality and strong desire to improve on the ice” according to a tribute posted on the Facebook page of The Skating Lesson, a forum aimed at educating athletes and fans about the skating community.
Everly “was shy and reserved compared to her sister, yet came alive on the ice — becoming a sectional champion at the intermediate and juvenile levels,” according to The Skating Lesson post.
The family lived in Ashburn, Virginia, and was among the many skaters on the plane attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita last week.

YEVGENIA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV

Russian-born Shishkova and Naumov, who were married, won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994 and had coached at the Skating Club of Boston since 2017.
“They were talented and beautiful people,” said Ludmila Velikova in St. Petersburg, where she trained both skaters when they were children. “Zhenya (Shishkova) trained with me from the age of 11 and Vladik (Naumov) from age 14. They were like my own children.”
The couple’s son, Maxim, also a skater, finished in fourth place in the men’s free skate at the US national championships last week. He left Wichita after the competition and was not on Wednesday’s plane.
Zeghibe described Vadim Naumov as an “old-school” coach who applied the strict “Russian method” to his students.
“You could not see Genia without breaking into a smile,” he said, using a nickname for Shishkova.

SAM LILLEY, IAN EPSTEIN, JONATHON CAMPOS, DANASIA ELDER

Lilley, 28, was one of two pilots on the plane, serving as the first officer, his father, Timothy Lilley, said in a Facebook post.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” wrote Lilley, himself a pilot, who was in New York at the time of the crash. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”
Sam Lilley was engaged to be married later this year, his father said. The Lilley family has ties to Savannah, Georgia, reported FOX 5 Atlanta.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Timothy Lilley told the television station.
Flight attendant Epstein was an outgoing person who loved his job, his ex-wife, Debi Epstein, told the Charlotte Observer.
“He made flying fun for the passengers on the plane so they didn’t get scared,” she said. “He was always the jokester and just doing the announcements with the twist.”
Ian Epstein had two daughters, including one who is getting married in eight weeks, Debi Epstein told the newspaper.
Campos was the captain of the plane, and Elder was the second flight attendant, according to media reports.

WENDY SHAFFER

Shaffer, who lived in Charlotte, devoted her life to her family, including her two small children, ages 1 and 3, friends said on Thursday.
Bill Melugin, a Fox News correspondent and a friend of the family, confirmed her death and posted a statement from Shaffer’s husband, Nate, in an X post.
“Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through,” Nate Shaffer said. “She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for. Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met.”
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for her family described her as a “radiant soul.”
“Wendy was the heart of her family — a loving partner to her husband and a nurturing, joyful mother to her children,” the fundraiser’s organizers wrote. “Her boys were her greatest pride and joy, and she dreamed of watching them grow into the amazing individuals she knew they would become.”

RYAN O’HARA

Ryan O’Hara was one of three soldiers on board the Black Hawk helicopter, a US official confirmed.
O’Hara attended Parkview High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia, where he had been a member of the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, a program that trains high school students for military service.
In a Facebook post that was later removed, the ROTC wrote, “Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team,” according to local media reports. O’Hara had a wife and 1-year-old son, the post said.

INNA VOLYANSKAYA

Russian-born Volyanskaya, a skating coach in the Washington area, was on board the plane, according to a post on X from US Representative Suhas Subramanyam and a report from the Russian news agency TASS.
Volyanskaya competed as a pairs skater for the Soviet Union in the 1980s. She coached young skaters at the Washington Figure Skating Club, according to the club’s website.
In a statement on Thursday, the club did not confirm whether any member or coach was on the flight but said it was “devastated” by news of the crash.
“More information will be posted when appropriate,” the club said.


Azerbaijan signs $2 billion investment agreements with Pakistan on sidelines of ECO summit

Updated 04 July 2025
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Azerbaijan signs $2 billion investment agreements with Pakistan on sidelines of ECO summit

  • Development came after sustained engagement between Pakistani and Azerbaijani officials recently
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif also held separate meetings with the presidents of Turkiye, Iran and Uzbekistan

ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan signed investment agreements worth $2 billion with Pakistan on Friday to boost economic cooperation, said an official statement released in Islamabad, in a major development during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the Central Asian state for the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit.

The two-day summit, hosted in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, focused on a sustainable and climate-resilient future for the region.

In his address, Sharif warned that climate change posed an existential threat to ECO member states, highlighting the impact of melting glaciers, floods, desertification and declining crop yields. He also emphasized more trade, tourism and regional integration to enhance economic prosperity.

“In the presence of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov signed agreements for $2 billion of investment in Pakistan’s economic sector from Azerbaijan,” the PM Office announced in a statement.

The agreements were signed following a bilateral meeting between Sharif and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with officials hoping for a more detailed agreement during Aliyev’s upcoming visit to Pakistan.

“The agreement has elevated investment and trade relations between the two countries to a historic level and will serve as a guarantee for further strengthening their brotherly ties and commercial partnership,” the official Pakistani statement added.

It also described the development as a result of sustained engagement between Pakistani ministries and diplomats and their Azerbaijani counterparts over recent months.

SIDELINE DIPLOMACY

On the sidelines of the summit, Sharif held separate meetings with the presidents of Turkiye, Iran and Uzbekistan, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional cooperation, peace and connectivity.

In his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and vowed to accelerate progress in critical areas.

“The two leaders reiterated their resolve to bring about meaningful progress in relations... [emphasizing] the importance of deepening cooperation in trade, defense, energy, connectivity and investment,” said a separate handout by the PM Office.

To advance this agenda, both sides agreed to exchange high-level delegations to finalize understandings reached between the sides.

In another key engagement, the Pakistani prime minister met Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, with both sides reviewing the implementation of previous agreements to strengthen bilateral ties.

Sharif praised Iran’s leadership during the recent conflict with Israel and welcomed Tehran’s decision to agree to a ceasefire.

“The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of Iran and Pakistan’s strong commitment to continue working closely with Iran for peace in the region through dialogue and diplomacy,” the statement said.

In his meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Sharif focused on regional integration, energy cooperation, and the Trans-Afghan Railway Project, which is seen as vital for unlocking trade corridors between Central and South Asia.

“The two leaders agreed on visits of their senior ministers to Tashkent and Islamabad to finalize necessary agreements,” the PMO said, adding that both sides viewed their cultural and historical ties as a strong foundation for broader collaboration.


Escaped lion attacks woman and children in Pakistan street

Updated 04 July 2025
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Escaped lion attacks woman and children in Pakistan street

  • CCTV footage shows the lion jumping the barrier around its home and pursuing the family
  • It knocks the woman to the ground and claws the arms and faces of her two children

LAHORE: An escaped pet lion chased a woman and two children down a busy street in Pakistan’s Lahore, police said Friday, with dramatic footage showing the big cat leaping a wall before pouncing on them.

CCTV footage released by the police showed the lion jumping the barrier around its home and pursuing a woman carrying her shopping on Thursday night.

The lion jumped on her back, knocking her to the ground, the footage showed.

A police report quoted the father as saying the lion then turned to his five-year-old and seven-year-old children, and clawed their arms and faces.

All three were taken to hospital but were not in a critical condition.

The owners who ran out of the house were “amused to see their lion attack” the passersby, the father added in the report.

Police said Friday they had arrested three men.

“The suspects fled from the spot, taking the lion with them. They were arrested within 12 hours of the incident,” the office of the Deputy Inspector General Operations in Lahore told AFP.

The lion, an 11-month-old male, has been confiscated by police and sent to a wildlife park.

Officials at the facility said that the animal appears to be in good health.

Keeping exotic animals, especially big cats, as pets has long been seen as a sign of privilege and power in Punjab, the most populous province of the country.

In December 2024, an adult lion escaped from its enclosure in another neighborhood of Lahore, terrorizing residents before being shot dead by a security guard.

The incident prompted the provincial government to pass new laws regulating the sale, purchase, breeding and ownership of big cats.

The law now requires owners to obtain licenses for the animals which are barred from being kept in residential areas.

Breeders have to pay a hefty fee for registration, while farms have to be a minimum of 10 acres in size.


PM Sharif discusses trade, investment and regional ties with ECO leaders on summit sidelines

Updated 04 July 2025
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PM Sharif discusses trade, investment and regional ties with ECO leaders on summit sidelines

  • The Pakistani prime minister meets the presidents of Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan
  • Sharif reaffirms his administration’s resolve to further strengthen relations with these countries

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a series of meetings with the presidents of Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace, connectivity and enhanced bilateral trade and investment.

The two-day summit, held from July 3-4, focused on promoting economic cooperation, sustainable development and regional integration among ECO member states.

Sharif led Pakistan’s delegation, using the opportunity to deepen bilateral and multilateral ties with key regional partners.

In his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and vowed to accelerate progress in critical areas.

“The two leaders reiterated their resolve to bring about meaningful progress in relations... [emphasizing] the importance of deepening cooperation in trade, defense, energy, connectivity and investment,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

To advance this agenda, both sides agreed to exchange high-level delegations to finalize understandings reached between the sides.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering commitment” to working closely with Türkiye to promote peace, stability and sustainable development in the region.

In another key engagement, the Pakistani prime minister met Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, with both leaders reviewing the implementation of previous agreements to strengthen bilateral ties.

Sharif praised Iran’s leadership during the recent conflict with Israel and welcomed Tehran’s decision to agree to a ceasefire.

“The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of Iran and Pakistan’s strong commitment to continue working closely with Iran for peace in the region through dialogue and diplomacy,” said another PMO statement.

In turn, President Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan for its diplomatic support during the crisis and acknowledged its role in efforts to de-escalate tensions.

The prime minister also held talks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, in what was their third bilateral meeting this year. The two leaders agreed to further strengthen their economic partnership, especially by accelerating Azerbaijan’s investments in Pakistan.

“The two leaders agreed to enhance their cooperation in the fields of trade and investment while expressing satisfaction over the progress made regarding the investment prospects,” the PMO said.

Sharif invited President Aliyev to visit Pakistan, noting that recent exchanges had significantly strengthened bilateral ties.

The Azerbaijan leader had previously announced a $2 billion investment package for Pakistan during a visit to Islamabad in 2024, and the two countries have also deepened defense cooperation, including Islamabad’s sale of JF-17 fighter jets to Baku.

In his meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Sharif focused on regional integration, energy cooperation and the Trans-Afghan Railway Project, which is seen as vital for unlocking trade corridors between Central and South Asia.

“The two leaders agreed on visits of their senior ministers to Tashkent and Islamabad to finalize necessary agreements,” the PMO said, adding that the two sides viewed their cultural and historical ties as a strong foundation for broader collaboration.


Karachi building collapse kills 10, exposing city’s crisis of unsafe housing

Updated 04 July 2025
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Karachi building collapse kills 10, exposing city’s crisis of unsafe housing

  • The five-story building in Lyari had been declared dangerous in 2012, but residents remained
  • Sindh Building Control Authority says over 580 buildings in Karachi are unfit for habitation

KARACHI: A five-story residential building collapsed in Karachi’s densely populated Lyari neighborhood on Friday, killing at least 10 people and trapping many others, in yet another tragedy underscoring the city’s crisis of unsafe, aging structures.

Rescue workers, aided by local residents, scrambled to pull people from the debris of the Fotan Mansion building, recovering both bodies and injured survivors. The collapse took place around 10:30 a.m., jolting the community.

“I suddenly woke up … it felt like there were tremors, like an earthquake,” said Salman Ahmed, who was sleeping in a nearby building at the time of the incident and later rescued two children.

“At the moment the building collapsed, nothing was visible,” he recalled. “There was so much dust and smoke that no one could understand what had happened. “We could hear voices coming from underneath [the rubble].”

It was not immediately clear how many families lived in the building, but residents estimated that around 40 people were inside when it collapsed. Many of the occupants were members of the low-income Hindu minority community.

As of Friday evening, a large rescue operation was still underway, with cranes clearing debris and rescuers racing against time to reach those still trapped beneath the rubble.

Senior Superintendent of Police Arif Aziz confirmed to Arab News “the death toll has reached 10.”

“They handed me a three-month-old baby girl, she was alive,” said Maya Sham, a relative of a family living in the building. “Right now, two of their sons and three daughters-in-law are still trapped. But we can still hear voices from inside.”

The collapse devastated families like that of Megbhai, a member of the Hindu community, which largely resided in the building.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed that six people had died and eight were rescued alive. He said the building had long been on the city’s “danger list.”

“This building was declared dangerous, and a couple of notices were issued to the occupants to vacate because of its structure,” Wahab told Arab News at the site. “But unfortunately, people chose to risk their lives, and they did not vacate.”

Pakistan’s largest city — home to over 20 million people — faces a chronic housing shortage. Many low-income residents live in dilapidated buildings that have escaped regular maintenance. Authorities have declared nearly 588 buildings dangerous in Karachi, most in the congested Old City area.

According to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Fotan Mansion had been declared unsafe as far back as 2012.

“This building was declared dangerous by the SBCA in 2012 and had been served multiple notices over the years,” SBCA spokesperson Shakeel Dogar told Arab News. “Before the recent rains, public announcements were also made in the area, but unfortunately, no one was willing to vacate,” he said, adding that it was the responsibility of the district administration to enforce the SBCA’s evacuation directives.

Mayor Wahab said rescue efforts remained the top priority, with accountability and investigation to follow.

“Our administration, our machinery is here on the ground,” he said. “Once we’re done with the rescue aspect, we will focus on who was responsible for this negligence or omission.”

RECURRING TRAGEDY

Friday’s incident is the latest in a string of deadly building collapses in Karachi.

In February 2020, a five-story building collapsed in Rizvia Society, killing at least 27 people. The following month, another residential structure came down in Gulbahar, claiming 16 lives.

In June 2021, a three-story building in Malir collapsed, killing four. And just last year, in August, a building collapse in Qur’angi led to at least three deaths.

Most of these structures had either been declared unsafe or were built without proper approval.

Experts say that despite repeated disasters, there has been little progress in enforcing building codes or relocating residents from hazardous structures.

“The incident of the building collapse in Lyari is deeply tragic,” said Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi, chairman of the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD). “It is alarming that despite having a list of dangerous buildings, the SBCA did not take action to get them evacuated.”

He urged the Sindh government to reassess buildings citywide and equip rescue teams with modern tools and technology.

With hundreds of buildings still listed as unsafe, authorities now face mounting pressure to prevent future disasters.

“The way out is that we must follow what the law says,” said Mayor Wahab when asked if anyone would be held accountable. “If citizens don’t listen to us, the political leadership and the administration have to play their part to convince those people.”

“Nobody wants to leave their house... but we must learn from our mistakes and ensure no such untoward incident takes place in the future,” he said.


China helped Pakistan with ‘live inputs’ in conflict with India, Indian Army deputy chief says

Updated 04 July 2025
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China helped Pakistan with ‘live inputs’ in conflict with India, Indian Army deputy chief says

  • India earlier noted no visible Chinese support for Pakistan during the four-day ​standoff
  • Pakistani officials have also denied claims of receiving active assistance from Beijing

NEW DELHI: China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions during Pakistan’s deadly conflict with its neighbor in May, the deputy chief of India’s army said on Friday, calling for urgent upgrades to the country’s air defense systems.

The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four-day fighting — their worst in decades — triggered by an April attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire.

Pakistan has denied involvement in the April attack.

India fought two adversaries during the conflict, with Pakistan being the “front face” while China provided “all possible support,” Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh said at a defense industry event in New Delhi.

“When the DGMO (director general of military operations) level talks were going on, Pakistan ... said that we know that your such and such important vector is primed and it is ready for action ... he was getting live inputs from China,” he said.

Singh did not elaborate on how India knew about the live inputs from China.

The Chinese foreign and defense ministries, and Pakistan army’s public relations wing did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

India’s relationship with China was strained after a 2020 border clash that sparked a four-year military standoff, but tensions began to ease after the countries reached a pact to step back in October.

India had earlier said that although Pakistan is closely allied with China, there was no sign of any actual help from Beijing during the conflict.

Regarding the possibility of China providing satellite imagery or other real-time intelligence, India’s chief of defense staff had said such imagery was commercially available and could have been procured from China or elsewhere.

Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict, but have not commented specifically on whether Beijing gave any satellite and radar help during the fighting.

Beijing, which welcomed the ceasefire in May, has helped Pakistan’s struggling economy with investments and financial support since 2013.

The Chinese foreign minister also vowed support to Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity when he met his Pakistani counterpart days after the ceasefire.

Singh said that Turkiye also provided key support to Pakistan during the fighting, equipping it with Bayraktar and “numerous other” drones, and “trained individuals.”

Ankara has strong ties with Islamabad, and had expressed solidarity with it during the clash, prompting Indians to boycott everything from Turkish coffee to holidays in the country.

Turkiye’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.