Dead Americans’ Bodies Sent Home From Nicaragua
The remains of two Americans killed when the Sandinistas shot down their cargo plane were sent home today. Voice of Nicaragua radio said, “The two American advisers arrived as pilots and are leaving as cargo.”
The gray wood coffins containing the remains of the plane’s pilot, William J. Cooper, and co-pilot, Wallace Blaine Sawyer Jr., were loaded onto a Taca airlines flight bound for Houston.
A third crew member who was killed has not been identified, but is believed to be an American. The sole surviving crewman, Eugene Hasenfus, is in custody. (Story on Page 9.)
The U.S. Embassy on Thursday issued a statement denouncing the Sandinista government’s “ghoulish behavior” with regards to the remains. Officials said the coffins were left on the ground outside the gates of the U.S. Embassy.
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