Tāwhiwhirangi, a founder of the Kōhanga Reo movement, died surrounded by whānau.

Two travellers have been charged after drugs were allegedly found hidden in their luggage at Melbourne Airport.

A 22-year-old woman from Lilydale was charged after officers allegedly found 18kg of methamphetamine and 2kg of cocaine in vacuum-sealed bags concealed in her luggage on January 29.

The woman had arrived at Melbourne Airport after travelling from Los Angeles before being selected for a bag search by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers.

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After allegedly finding 20kg of drugs concealed in her luggage, police charged the woman with a string of offences, including one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and one count of possessing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug. 

The woman fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court on January 30.

She was refused bail and will return to court on April 23.

A second woman, a Portuguese national, has been charged with importing methamphetamine into Australia.

ABF officers allege the 20-year-old had concealed the drug inside vacuum-sealed bags of clothing, which weighed 16kg, which were discovered at Melbourne Airport on January 18.

The woman had also arrived from the US.

She was charged with one count of importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug and one count of possession.

She appeared before Melbourne Magistrates' Court on January 20 and was refused bail. 

The woman, 20, will return to the same court on May 5.

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AFP Commander Raegan Stewart warned federal police officers are cracking down on illegal drug imports in Australia, including those involved in transnational drug syndicates.

"Despite all the risks involved, we are still arresting people who attempt to bring illicit drugs into our country through our airports," Stewart said.

"No matter how elaborate or creative the attempts are, the AFP and our partners are committed to preventing airports from being used as part of the criminal supply chain.

"It's about protecting the community from the scourge of drugs and targeting individuals who seek to profit from the illicit trade."

National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline 1800 250 015

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Police have released the name of a teenager fatally shot at a layby area in Ōtaika.

Before American Eagle Flight 5342 took to the air from Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday evening, on its way to the nation's capital, figure skater Spencer Lane snapped a photo of the plane's wing stretched out over the tarmac toward the horizon.

A grayish-blue overcast sky formed a shimmery curtain over the setting sun in the image the teenager posted to his Instagram Stories.

The up-and-coming skater wrote "ICT->DCA," referencing the airport codes for the departure and destination cities.

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Lane, his mother as well as other budding skating stars, their families and coaches from the US and Russia awaited their departure after attending the US Figure Skating Championships and a development camp for young athletes.

In all, 60 passengers and four crew members were on board the commercial jet when it took off at 5.39 pm.

The two-hour, 35-minute journey would deliver them to one of the country's most congested and complicated flight approaches, a runway at Reagan National Airport, just south of the capital's brightly illuminated marble monuments.

It ended as the deadliest US aviation disaster in nearly a quarter century.

On a clear night, the nearly full Bombardier CRJ700 jet approached Runway 33 around 8:48pm when it collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying a crew of three on a training flight.

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Videos captured a giant red-orange fireball, followed by an eerie trail of smoke and burning debris.

The two aircraft plunged into the dark, frigid Potomac River. No one survived.

The victims represent a cross section of the legions who traverse America's congested airways on any given day, including a biology professor and popular soldiers, longtime airline pilots and flight attendants, union steamfitters returning from a hunting trip, an attorney and a pair of young associates, along with the aspiring figure skating stars, their family members and coaches.

Timothy Lilley, whose son, Sam Lilley, was the first officer on American Airlines Flight 5342, said he spent 20 years as a helicopter pilot in the Army. Both he and his son shared a passion for flying.

Now, Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta, he has to reconcile that passion with the cause of his son's death.

"It hurts me because those are my brothers," he said of the Army helicopter crew. "Now my son is dead."

Passenger texted husband: Flight lands soon

At Reagan National Airport, Hamaad Raza received a text message from his wife: The flight was about 20 minutes from touching down.

He later showed the message to a reporter for CNN affiliate WUSA.

As Flight 5342 made its subsequent descent just miles south of the White House, the UH-60 Black Hawk flew at a low altitude along what is known as Route 4.

The flight path hugs the eastern shore of the Potomac and is reserved as a special corridor for law enforcement, medevac, military, and government helicopters.

Helicopters in the corridor must be at or below 200 feet above sea level.

The military helicopter may have been flying outside its approved flight path, at a higher altitude than it was supposed to be, and at least half a mile off the approved route, the New York Times reported.

Members of the US Army's 12th Aviation Battalion's Bravo company – based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia – the soldiers on board had experience with the crowded and tightly controlled airspace over DC.

The helicopter pilot and co-pilot had at least 1500 hours of flight time between them – a significant amount, according to a senior Army official, considering their average flights are around two hours.

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Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation, described the soldiers as "a fantastic crew. Very experienced at what they were doing".

The two pilots at the controls of Flight 5342 were also experienced. The captain had been flying with PSA Airlines – which operated the flight for parent carrier American – for nearly six years, according to company CEO Robert Isom.

The first officer had nearly two years with the airline.

About 8.43 pm on Wednesday, an air traffic controller at Reagan National contacted the commercial jet.

"Can you take Runway 33?" the controller asked, directing the jet to a shorter runway that intersects the busy main runway.

"Yeah, we can do 33," the pilot responded.

"Can confirm Runway 33, Runway 33 cleared to land …"

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The soldiers on the Black Hawk were conducting what Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described as an annual nighttime training on "a continuity of government mission."

The missions are routine: In the event of a catastrophe, helicopters are often employed to usher government officials to safety. Crew members had night vision goggles, the defence secretary said.

The Black Hawk flew past the Lincoln Memorial and over the Tidal Basin.

As the inky black Potomac spread out below the helicopter, an air traffic controller at Reagan National contacted the military pilot.

"Do you have the CRJ in sight?" the air traffic controller asked, referring to the regional jet.

The controller instructed the military aircraft to look out for the jet.

Before the pilot responded, the controller instructed the helicopter to "pass behind the CRJ", according to a feed of the air traffic communication.

"Pat-25 has aircraft in sight," the helicopter pilot responded with his call signal. He requested "visual separation", meaning he would visually maintain a safe distance from the jet.

The tower confirmed and granted the pilot permission to visually navigate and avoid Flight 5342.

That final communication was followed by more than 10 seconds of silence before the giant fireball erupted above the Potomac. The audio captured audible gasps, including a loud "oooh" in the background.

"Oh, my!" someone is heard saying in the background of radio transmissions. Air traffic controllers are heard scrambling to direct jets to nearby airports.

"Tower, did you see that?" the pilot of one aircraft is heard asking on the radio transmission.

"Looks like there were flares up in the air," a pilot reported to the tower at one point.

"We're handling that right now," the controller responded.

An unknown pilot told the tower he saw "flares from the opposite side of the Potomac".

"Apparently both aircraft involved are in the river," the controller said later.

At the time of the collision, one air traffic controller was working two different tower positions, handling both local and helicopter traffic, an air traffic control source told CNN. The source said the setup was not uncommon.

An internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report, however, said staffing was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic," The New York Times reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the collision, has recovered both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders – known as the black boxes – from the jet.

The helicopter's flight data and voice recorder – combined in one black box – has also been recovered.

'Crash! Crash! Crash!'

After weeks of icy temperatures in the region, Wednesday night felt comparatively balmy.

Jimmy Mazel, 17, and his girlfriend decided to eat dinner at Gravelly Point Park in Arlington, Virginia.

Located just north of Reagan National, the park is a popular destination to watch arriving and departing planes soar overhead. An evening of dining and plane-spotting was interrupted, he said, by "a white light falling out of the sky".

Nearby, Roy Best was standing on his building's rooftop when he heard a loud noise and saw a bright light flare in the distance.

"I turned to the side and I saw like a big spark," he said. "And then, you know, just something falling."

At first, Best said, he thought it might have been fireworks. A little later he learned the truth.

When a direct line with Reagan National Airport rang that Wednesday night, David Hoagland, president of the Washington DC Firefighters Local 36, said first responders expected a routine report of a flight in distress.

Instead, they heard: "Crash! Crash! Crash!" he recalled.

As members of the union rushed to a pier to board a fireboat, burning debris rained down over the Potomac.

First responders arrived to find wreckage submerged in the shallow water and almost immediately started finding victims, Hoagland said.

Some plane passengers were still strapped in their seats, but removing them proved difficult as sharp pieces of debris ripped the wetsuits worn by first responders.

The plane was found upside-down in three sections in shallow water – including the partly submerged wing and mangled fuselage.

The helicopter wreckage was also found.

Gravelly Point Park, the destination for plane watchers, is now the site of a makeshift morgue.

At least 41 bodies – 28 of those remains identified – have been recovered from the murky depths of the Potomac, with near-zero visibility in the water and other difficult conditions hampering the search effort.

The plane's fuselage will need to be removed so the remaining bodies can be retrieved, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said.

Clouds and cold rain rolled in on Friday – as flights landed and took off and search crews continued their work – magnifying the pall the tragedy has cast over the city and the nation.

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Seven people are dead, including one in a car on the ground, after a twin-engine medevac jet carrying a child patient and her mother crashed in a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia Friday night, Philadelphia's mayor said Saturday morning.

At least 19 were injured on the ground.

The six people on the plane were Mexican nationals, Mexico's president said on Saturday morning.

"I mourn the death of six Mexicans in the plane crash in Philadelphia, United States," Claudia Sheinbaum said.

"The consular authorities are in permanent contact with the families; I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support them in whatever way is required. My solidarity with their loved ones and friends."

The plane crash, about 150 miles to the northeast of the Washington, DC, area came as authorities continue their probe into Wednesday's deadly collision there. An American Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers onboard collided over the Potomac River. All are presumed dead.

The Learjet 55 crashed after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN.

On board were a pediatric patient and her mother returning home to Mexico after the child had been treated in Philadelphia, said Shai Gold, spokesperson for flight operator Jet Rescue Air Ambulance.

The girl was being treated for an illness at Shriners Children's Hospital in northeast Philadelphia, city officials said on Saturday.

The downed Learjet was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, the FAA said. Gold told CNN the flight planned to stop for refueling at the Springfield airport before continuing to its final destination of Tijuana, Mexico.

Also on board were four crew members, Gold said – a pilot, co-pilot, paramedic and doctor. All six people on board were Mexican nationals, according to Mexico's foreign ministry.

"It is entirely possible there will be changes to those casualty figures," Philadelphia's managing director Adam Thiel said on Saturday at a news conference.

"It will likely be days or more until we are able to definitively answer the question about the number of folks who perished in this tragedy."

Thiel said the area of impact from the crash is roughly four to six blocks, and officials have discovered debris around the city.

"It's a very widespread area and we're still trying to determine the entire scope."

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker urged residents who may have been in the area during the explosion to check their vehicles and property for potential evidence.

"Don't touch it, just call 911," she said.

The plane took off just after 6 pm (local time) and reached 1650 feet before plunging, according to data from ADS-B Exchange.

The data shows the final speed of descent was 11,000 feet per minute.

As an air traffic controller tries to contact the plane, there's a callout, heard on LiveATC.net, "Medevac med service, northeast tower. Medevac med service, northeast tower. Are you on frequency?"

A little over a minute later, the controller is heard saying: "We have a lost aircraft."

Several houses and vehicles "were impacted", Parker said at a news conference on Friday evening, but added that "we have no reports on the number of fatalities."

CNN affiliate KYW reported there are several injuries reported on the ground.

Six patients were sent to Temple University Hospital-Jeanes Campus after the crash, a spokesperson from the hospital confirmed to CNN.

Three patients were treated and discharged, while the other three are in "fair condition", the spokesperson said.

"No names are being released at this time until family members have been notified," Jet Rescue said in a statement.

"Our immediate concern is for the patient's family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground. More information will be released as it becomes available."

A photo of the twin-engine jet, which has a tail number that indicates it is registered in Mexico, shows it has "Jet Rescue" painted on it. It also has medical logos on its tail and wingtip.

Video from CNN affiliate WPVI showed flames and a large cloud of smoke at the scene as several fire trucks responded to the incident. The fire is under control, Philadelphia Fire said in a post on X on Friday night.

Philadelphia's emergency management department said roads were closed in the area of Cottman and Bustleton avenues due to the "major incident."

Nearby, the Northeast Philadelphia Airport was temporarily closed following the crash, but is now reopened, the airport told CNN.

Across the street from the crash, Roosevelt Mall was evacuated, mall spokesperson Kristen Moore told CNN. There were no injuries or damage at the mall, she said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he is offering all Commonwealth resources as the emergency response unfolds. Sen. John Fetterman also wrote on social media that he was in touch with the Philadelphia mayor and awaiting further information.

Sen. Dave McCormick said he is "closely monitoring the tragic situation," adding that he has reached out to the mayor and local law enforcement to lend "full support."

Members of the state's emergency management agency and transportation department are on the ground, along with 45 state troopers, Shapiro told reporters on Friday night. The state's environmental protection department is also making sure that hazardous materials "are addressed," Shapiro said.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators are on scene, according to US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

"The impact was so devastating, I think they're going to have their hands full," Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB, told CNN Saturday.

The older model Learjet lacked voice and data recorders, and while there's some video available of the incident, none of it so far is particularly clear, Goelz said.

"The only tip-off might be if something came off the plane earlier and is a little further down the flight track," Goelz said. "That might help indicate what happened, because the first piece off is the most important."

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the crash, Duffy said in a post on X.

"So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," Trump said in a Truth Social post. "More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job."

'Big ball of flames in the sky'

One witness who saw the crash was at work when he noticed "this big ball of flames in the sky," he told CNN affiliate WPVI.

"I was right here at the job and all I could see is this big ball of flames in the sky. Literally, we heard a loud, loud bang. It shook the entire building, the whole building shook," Mikey Littlejohn told WPVI.

Another witness, Vadim Osipov, said: "I was in shock. I'm still in shock. Like, this is insane."

Osipov said the incident reminded him of the war in Ukraine, where he is from. "There's always rockets coming in and stuff like that, then I see things flying."

Gov. Shapiro said that while Friday's incident was "an awful aviation disaster", it shows the unified response of local, state and federal officials.

"We saw neighbor helping neighbour," he said. "We know that there will be loss in this region and we want to offer our thoughts and our serious prayers for those who are grieving."

It's unclear how many homes have been affected by the crash. Mayor Parker said shelter is available for residents who have been affected.

Red Cross Philadelphia said a team of disaster workers is on the scene to assist those who have been displaced.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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