WORLD IN BRIEF : AFRICA : Achille Lauro Cruise Ship Catches Fire
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro caught fire off the coast of Somalia, and hundreds of passengers fled the boat, a British Coast Guard spokesman reported. The spokesmen gave no other details and no precise location for the Achille Lauro, which made news in 1985 when it was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. Passenger Leon Klinghoffer, 69, who was confined to a wheelchair, was shot and killed by the terrorists. They later threw his body overboard.
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