NSW: Name of Australian on hijacked flight

AAP General News (Australia)
12-25-1999
NSW: Name of Australian on hijacked flight

SYDNEY, Dec 25 AAP - The Australian man aboard a hijacked Indian Airlines aeroplane
has been identified as Peter Anthony Ward.

Mr Ward, 36, originally from Melbourne, is one of 189 people aboard hijacked flight IC814.

A department of Foreign Affairs spokesman has confirmed Mr Ward's name.

Mr Ward has been living in Kathmandu and working in the business sector.

He had been travelling to New Dehli to meet his wife when the plane he was travelling
on was overtaken by hijackers.

They seized the plane yesterday after taking off from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu.

The plane has landed at Kandahar, the fourth stop in a terrifying ordeal in which at
least one passenger was killed.

The Indian Airlines Airbus landed just after 2pm (AEST) in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan,
home to the headquarters of the ruling Taliban militia.

Troops from the fundamentalist Islamic militia surrounded the aircraft and have refuelled
it but have resisted Indian demands for a rescue.

The DFAT spokesman said the hijackers had asked for food and medical supplies, but
had not made any further demands or given any indication of their plans.

He said DFAT believed Mr Ward was unharmed and still aboard the aeroplane.

Mr Ward's wife is in New Delhi where she is in contact with the Australian High Commission,
the DFAT spokesman said.

The spokesman was not aware if he had relatives in Australia.

AAP km/ah

KEYWORD: INDIA HIJACK AUST LEAD

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