Maxim Naumov, the figure skater who lost his parents in last week's plane crash over Washington DC, is being closely looked after by a close family friend, according to a report. Married Russian skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the 67 people who lost their lives when an American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk helicopter midair last Wednesday night. No one survived the collision which sent both the commercial airliner and Army helicopter plummeting into the frigid Potomac River. The bodies of Shishkova and Naumov were found Friday.

23-year-old Maxim was not onboard Flight 5342 with his parents and has since been facing the incomprehensible after losing both his mom and dad. In the wake of the tragedy, Maxim is being cared for by a 'very dear friend' of his late parents. 'I know that Maxim has someone with him 24 hours,' Ekaterina 'Katia' Gordeeva, a Russian teammate of Shishkova and Naumov at the 1994 Olympics told PEOPLE. Maxim Naumov (right) lost both his parents Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov last week.

Russian figure skaters Shishkova and Naumov died in the Washington DC plane crash. In the wake of the tragedy, Maxim is being cared for by a 'very dear friend' of his late parents. 'I know a couple who is with him right now,' Gordeeva, who was also a close friend of the family, added. 'They weren't even in Washington yet, but … that morning [of the plane crash], we all connected right away, all the people from Simsbury,' said Gordeeva, referring to the Connecticut town where Shishkova and Naumov lived when they first arrived in the United states until the early '00s.

Shishkova and Naumov competed alongside Gordeeva and her late husband Sergei Grinkov at the 1994 Olympics. Gordeeva and Grinkov claimed Olympic Gold in 1994 and 1988. Shishkova and Naumov failed to make the podium at the Winter Games in Lillehammer. However, the height careers came just one month later in 1994 when they were crowned World Champions in Chiba, Japan. They also claimed silver and bronze in the 1995 and 1993 editions of the tournament respectively.

Following their own careers on the ice, Shishkova and Naumov reportedly moved to the US in 1998 where they began coaching. They moved to Simsbury, Connecticut and worked as pairs coaches at the International Skating Center of Connecticut. They later moved to the Skating Club of Boston in February 2017. Ekaterina 'Katia' Gordeeva was a friend of the skaters and competed alongside them in 1994. Shishkova and Naumov were crowned World Champions in Chiba, Japan in 1994.

Gordeeva said a lot of the Russian skating community settles in Simsbury, creating a tight-knit community. The Connecticut town is where she grew close to Shishkova and Naumov, even bonding with Shishkova during their pregnancies. 'I know that my daughter reached out to him because they are closer to her in age,' she said of her daughter Elizaveta. 'My daughter was so devastated yesterday. She was like, "I have to go. I have to go see him right now."'.

Shishkova and Naumov were travelling back to DC on Flight 5342 after attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas. US figure skating has confirmed that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on board the flight, and had been returning home from the National Development Camp which is held in conjunction with the national championships . Shishkova and Naumov are believed to have been travelling with a group of young skaters, returning from the competition.