January 30, 2025

Carmel native among those killed in Washington, D.C. plane crash

First responders search the crash site of American Airlines flight 5342 along the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Thursday.  - Michael A. McCoy for NPR

First responders search the crash site of American Airlines flight 5342 along the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Thursday.

Michael A. McCoy for NPR

An IU alumna was among the 67 people killed when a plane collided with an army helicopter Wednesday night near Washington, D.C.

Asra Hussain, 26, from Carmel, Ind., graduated from IU Bloomington in 2020 with a B.S. in Healthcare Management and Policy. She went on to earn a master's degree in healthcare management.

She’s survived by her husband Hamaad Raza, who also attended IU, from 2017-2021, and earned a B.S. in Finance at the Kelley School of Business.

"She was returning from a work trip where she was helping to improve a hospital that really needed help," Raza told WFIU/WTIU News. "And, you know, she was doing what she loved. She was even working on the flight."

He added, "She gave a lot, but she had so much more to give. But if there was ever someone who took advantage of their 26 years of life, it was her."

Raza says he and Hussain met through the Muslim Student Association when he was a freshman and she was a sophomore.

They were married two-and-a-half years ago.
 

Hamaad Raza and Asra Hussain

Hamaad Raza and Asra Hussain

Photo courtesy of Hamaad Raza


"We hadn't been able to go back to Bloomington since we got married, but we always wanted to," said Raza, who's from St. Louis.

"Bloomington was a big part of our lives. It's where we met, and so, you know, we'll never forget that part of my life."

The recovery team has found nearly 30 bodies so far. There’s not yet confirmation that Hussain’s body has been found.

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