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F E A T U R E S T O R Y:
Terrorist air crash kills State officer
Leslianne Shedd, an economic officer in Addis Ababa, died when the airplane on which she was a passenger was hijacked and crashed off the coast of the Comoros Islands Nov. 23. Franklin P. Huddle, the consul general in Bombay, and his wife, Chanya, suffered minor injuries.
Three hijackers seized control of the Ethiopian Airways flight to Nairobi, claiming they had a bomb. The assailants ordered the captain to fly to Australia and refused his pleas to refuel. The aircraft crash-landed in the Indian Ocean, about 500 yards from Great Comoro Island. At least 125 of the 175 passengers on board perished, making the incident the second-deadliest hijacking in history.
The Huddles, enroute to a safari in Kenya, were rescued and taken to medical facilities on nearby Reunion Island. Mr. Huddle injured a hand and foot; his wife had minor lacerations.
Ms. Shedd, 28, was serving her second overseas tour. She had been assigned to the embassy in Ethiopia since 1995; previously she was an economic officer in Abidjan. A native of New York, she earned a bachelor’s in international administration from the University of Washington before beginning her career at State. Survivors include her parents, Robert and Ruth, a sister, and a brother.
Ms. Shedd’s family has established a scholarship fund in her memory. Donations may be sent to the Leslianne Shedd Scholarship Fund, Scoop Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington Foundation, P.O. Box 353765, Seattle, Wa. 98195.
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