ASHBURN, Va. (7News) — A tragic plane crash has claimed the lives of many, including residents from Loudoun County and nearby Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. Some of the victims were in Wichita, Kansas, for a skating competition, and some were connected to the Ashburn Ice House, where they practiced.

Among the victims was a Loudoun County father traveling with his two daughters. Additionally, 12-year-old Brielle and her mother, Justyna Byer, were on the ill-fated flight, said Andrew Byer, who is now left with their 6-year-old son.

The Ashburn Ice House has become a place of mourning, as community members gather with flowers to build a memorial, offering comfort and solace to one another. Alexis, a 10-year-old skater, said she lost four friends on the flight, aged 11, 12, 13, and 14, as well as her coach. Alexis shared her memories of Brielle, saying, "My favorite memory of Brielle is playing games with her and talking. And I just, I love all these people, and they really supported me."

Alexis's father, Jeff Winch, recounted a poignant moment, saying, "One of the things that she just told me, she just remembered last night, she was sitting on the couch with her iPad playing some video game live over the air with her friend on the plane just before the accident occurred. I said it was time to go to bed, and not even 30 minutes later, that was just before the crash. And she just told me this. So, little things are coming out of her memory right now."

Skaters at the Fairfax Ice Arena also mourned the loss of victims they knew.

Friends left behind flowers at a makeshift memorial there, too.

Xiangxi Liu told 7News he recognized some of the victims at practices in the Fairfax ice rink, and said skaters, parents, and coaches there on Thursday were heartbroken.

"The ice skating community is a very small community. It's a small circle, especially kids," Liu said. "[I saw some of the victims] before they went to camp. Those kids are always training together, so when you go there, you saw them do performance, do their exercise performance and skating for practice."

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid sent a statement Thursday, informing the community three students and six parents in the district died in the crash, with two of those parents being current or former staff members.

"Multiplying the grief are the siblings, spouses, relatives, friends and colleagues who have lost loved ones," the statement said. "We know many in our FCPS community are now learning this tragic news and understanding the enormity of our loss. We have resources available to support students, staff, and families. I want to specifically recognize our principals, teachers, counselors, and other crisis teams who are responding to the needs of our students, families, and staff during this most difficult time. We also continue to be thankful for our first responders and community partners."

The skaters were in Wichita for the U.S. Figure Skating team's National Development Camp.

Liu told 7News the children who knew friends on the plane are not the only people grieving. He said the coaches, who knew many of the children for several years, were also having a difficult time.

"People are devastated. My daughter was supposed to have a class today, but the coach canceled the class because she also knows so many kids. A lot of the kids start training from 4- to-6-years-old, so most coaches already know them more than 10 years," Liu said. "The kids, you saw them grow up from 4-to-6-years-old, to right now. They're competing at the national level, preparing for the future. Suddenly, they're all passed away. It's very, very sad."