As recovery efforts continue in Washington DC following a mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane from Kansas and a military helicopter carrying a three-person crew on Wednesday night, details of the victims are still emerging.
The crash claimed the lives of prominent figure skaters from the US and Russia, a young pilot, flight attendants, a lawyer celebrating her birthday, and a Pakistani consultant dedicated to improving public health.
Who is Asra Hussain Raza?
Among the victims was 26-year-old Asra Hussain Raza, a passionate public health consultant who had recently moved to the Washington DC area after earning a master’s degree in hospital management.
Asra sent a final text to her husband, Hamaad Raza, from the ill-fated flight as it neared Washington, letting him know she would be landing in about 20 minutes. Hamaad, 25, was waiting at the airport for her arrival, but no further messages came. His father, Hashim Raza, shared the heartbreaking details with Reuters.
“She was returning from a work trip where she was helping to improve a hospital that desperately needed support,” Hamaad told reporters, showing her last message outside the airport.
“And she was doing what she loved—she was even working on the flight,” he added.
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Hamaad described Asra as someone who gave so much but had even more to offer. “If there was ever someone who made the most of their 26 years, it was her.”
His father, Hashim Raza, recalled that from the moment Hamaad met Asra, he knew he would marry her.
Asra later pursued a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University and joined a consulting group in Washington, hoping to eventually work in government to advance public health initiatives.
