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Maleah Evans

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu speaks to Wichita crowd during a prayer vigil. The vigil was held on Thursday, Jan. 31 to mourn victims of the Flight 5342 crash.

Religious leaders from across the state gathered Thursday afternoon to mourn and share a message of unity during a vigil for those who died in Wednesday’s plane crash.

Late Wednesday evening, American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita to Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was struck by a Black Hawk Army helicopter.

The passenger plane was carrying 64 people — 60 passengers and four crew members. The helicopter was carrying three Army personnel.

As of Jan. 30, there are no survivors.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu and city council members held a prayer vigil in City Hall on Thursday for community members to come together and grieve. 

Ryan Baty, who serves as the county commissioner for the 4th District, said that during times of tragedy, there is value in gathering and fellowship, especially when words fail. 

“There’s pain, and that’s what tragedy does,” Baty said. “Tragedy also reveals things about a community, and what I’m hoping is that when the world looks to Wichita, what they see is a community that rallies — even in the midst of pain and tragedy.”

Humanity comes together

Religious leaders from various denominations gathered for the vigil, each offering their own prayer for the lives lost. 

Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg of Chabad of Wichita recited a traditional Hebrew prayer of mourning during the vigil. He said it’s essential for the community to come together.

“It wasn’t just Wichitans, it wasn’t just Americans, it was really international,” Greenberg said. “It shows us how fragile life is and how important it is for us as humanity to come together, not just in times of tragedy.”

Bill Evans, an associate pastor with Park City Baptist Church, echoed the statement. He said he was surprised to see such a large, diverse group of religious representatives come together.

“I wanted to actually see how many leaders actually stepped up, too,” Evans said. “And I was actually very happy and a little bit surprised too as (to) how many actually showed up.”

Rhonda Kingwood, a pastor at Heart of Christ Methodist Church, plans to hold another vigil on Feb. 13 with the Greater Wichita Ministerial League. 

“My thoughts and prayers are with all the families during this time of loss, because there are no words, you don’t even know how to connect with people in things like this,” Kingwood said. “I think it’s a horrible tragedy, and it’s something that’s unimaginable that you just hear, but you don’t think it’s going to happen.”

If you’ve been personally impacted by and are willing to talk about the Flight 5342 crash, reach out to The Sunflower via our Suggest a Story application or by emailing [email protected].