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It's been just over a year since Wichita celebrated a new direct flight route to Washington, D.C. Now the city is in mourning after a passenger plane flying that route collided with a helicopter last night, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River. It's believed that all 67 people on board the two aircraft have died. As Rose Conlon of member station KMUW reports, the Wichita community came together today for a prayer vigil.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #1: (Singing) We need you, Lord. We need you, Lord, right now.
ROSE CONLON, BYLINE: Dozens of faith leaders and city officials and hundreds of residents gathered at the Wichita City Hall today to lead the community in prayer for those who lost their lives in the plane crash. That included Bishop Carl Kemme of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.
CARL KEMME: Hear our ardent and humble prayers, mighty God, that come from our community upon which has been visited this disaster and the loss of many lives.
CONLON: Officials have not yet said how many Kansans were among the plane's passengers. U.S. Figure Skating has confirmed that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on board the flight after Wichita hosted national championships last week.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #2: (Singing) Our Father, which are in heaven...
CONLON: Wichita Mayor Lily Wu urged unity during the time of tragedy.
LILY WU: In memory of those who have lost their lives, in honor of the families that are grieving, I'm asking that we come together as Wichitans, as Kansans and as Americans.
CONLON: Pastor Albert Paredes, with Praise Chapel Wichita, led a prayer for families and friends of those who lost their lives and for first responders who continue to recover bodies from the Potomac River.
ALBERT PAREDES: Lord, I pray God, as we call upon your presence, that you, God, would bring comfort to every person in this room, to every person in this city and to every person in this great country. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
UNIDENTIFIED PRAYER VIGIL ATTENDEES: Amen.
CONLON: After the prayer vigil, faith leaders and city officials gathered outside, where Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg, with Chabad of Wichita, said he was praying for a colleague's family member.
SHMULIK GREENBERG: A Chabad colleague reached out back east, and he said a family member from his congregation was on the crash, and so I said the Kel Maleh Rachamim prayer, which is the Jewish prayer for those who have deceased. And I said it for him and, of course, for all those who are a part of this tragedy.
CONLON: Also in the crowd was Dennis Balderas, a longtime north Wichita resident and a musician at the Pentecostal church, New Hope Full Gospel Church. While he doesn't personally know anyone who was on the plane, he said the tragedy hits close to home.
DENNIS BALDERAS: You know, even my nephew works in Washington, D.C. She works for the White House, my nephew. And I just - I was really shocked.
CONLON: Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty said the plane's passenger list has not been made public, but the crash has created deep pain in the local community.
RYAN BATY: We're hearing from constituents, we're hearing from family and friends that knew people that were on the plane. So those names are starting to come out via the community. And that's hard. That's hard.
CONLON: He said Wichita has an opportunity to demonstrate how to love and mourn together at a time of deep national political division.
BATY: I think what the nation will see from Wichita is that they're going to see a community that rallies in love, a community that finds peace, a community that has joy even in the midst of despair, a community that has kindness and gentleness.
CONLON: But faith leaders here say, even so, it will take a long time for the community to reckon with such a tragedy.
For NPR News, I'm Rose Conlon in Wichita. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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