Hans Ephraimson of Ridgewood, N.J., brushed aside the New York Times story about Korean Air Lines Flight 007 being forced to land on the island of Sakhalin after straying into Soviet airspace on Sept. 1, 1983. The Times said another Korean jet had been sent to pick up the passengers. Suddenly it hit him: His 23-year-old daughter, Alice, was aboard KAL 007. â??I got to my office thinking the Soviets probably would not release the luggage but they likely would honor her reservation in Hong Kong,â? he tells Insight.
Ephraimson phoned the general manager of a Hong Kong hotel to let him know that his daughter would be arriving late and that she might need extra clothes. â??Charge it to my account,â? he recalls saying. â??That wonâ??t be necessary,â? the general manager replied. Then, after a long pause, the manager put it as gently as he could: â??I regret to inform you, sir, that the plane didnâ??t land. There were no survivors.â?
A stunned Ephraimson immediately called Korean Air Lines demanding an explanation. â??How could this be?â? he wondered. The national media had reported that the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau â??confirmed that the Hokkaido radar followed Air Korea to a landing in Soviet territory on the island of Sakhalinâ? where all 269 passengers and crew were safe. Korean Air Lines promised it would get back to him. But it didnâ??t.
An exasperated Ephraimson telephoned the State Department to clear up the confusion. â??Sorry,â? he was told, they were busy preparing for press conferences just now but someone would call him back. Like Korean Air Lines, they never did.
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