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At Least Four Americans Reported Missing in Brussels

A memorial for victims of the Brussels attacks / AP
March 23, 2016

At least four Americans have been reported missing in Brussels following a series of terror attacks there Tuesday.

The missing individuals include two siblings from New York, a Lexington, Kentucky, native, and her husband. All four individuals were reported missing after the coordinated explosions at Brussels Airport Tuesday morning.

The New York Post reported that Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski, the siblings from New York, phoned their family from Brussels Airport on Tuesday while preparing to travel home from a trip. Family members heard a loud explosion while on the call before the line went dead, and they haven’t heard from Sascha or Alexander since.

Messages asking for information about the siblings have circulated on social media.

"We are still looking for Alexander Pinczowski and his sister Sascha," a friend posted on Facebook Tuesday, including photos of the brother and sister. "They are missing in the Brussels airport attack since this morning. Please contact if you have seen them or know about their whereabouts. Please share!!!"

Stephanie Shults and her husband Justin have also been missing since the pair of blasts at the airport Tuesday, the woman’s aunt, Betty Newsom, told the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky.

Newsom’s sister, Carolyn Moore, had just bid goodbye to Stephanie--her daughter--and Justin in Brussels Airport when the blasts occurred. Moore phoned her husband following the explosion.

"She had not been able to find Stephanie and Justin," Newsom said.

"She had said goodbye to them in the terminal and had turned to go toward security and the blast happened," Newsom recounted. "She does not know if they stood there to watch her go to security or if they had turned to leave the terminal. She does not know."

Moore is currently staying at a hotel close to the airport, awaiting information about the whereabouts of her daughter and son-in-law.

Stephanie, who works for Mars Inc., and Justin, an employee of Clarcor, are both on assignments in Belgium. Both companies have posted messages asking for information about the whereabouts of Stephanie and Justin.

Several Americans were wounded in the explosions in Brussels, including a member of the U.S. Air Force and his family as well as three Mormon missionaries. Following the explosions, the State Department issued a travel alert to American citizens, warning about the risks traveling in and throughout Europe.

At least 31 people died in the blasts, which occurred at the airport and the Maelbeek subway station in Brussels. Officials have said that 250 people were wounded.

UPDATE 6:09 A.M., Thurs., March 24: A family member said Wednesday that Stephanie and Justin Shults had been located, citing contact from the State Department, NBC News reported. Later, Justin Shults’ brother, the family member, said that the information was incorrect and the couple still have not been found. 

Published under: Terrorism