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Indiana University Student Among Those In Malaysia Airlines Crash

Indiana University Student Among Those In Malaysia Airlines Crash

By Christine Mai-Duc, Los Angeles Times

An Indiana University student was among those killed in the Malaysia Airlines jet crash Thursday, university officials announced.

Karlijn Keijzer, 25, was a doctoral student in chemistry at the university and an avid rower who once competed on the women’s varsity rowing team there, the school said. She had also earned her master’s degree at Indiana.

“On behalf of the entire Indiana University community, I want to express my deepest sympathies to Karlijn’s family and friends over her tragic death,” Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie said in a statement. “Karlijn was an outstanding student and a talented athlete, and her passing is a loss to the campus and the university.”

Keijzer, who was from the Netherlands, was a member of Indiana’s Varsity 8 boat team during its 2011 season, and earned honors from the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association and Academic All-Big Ten.

“The Indiana Rowing family is deeply saddened by the news of Karlijn’s sudden passing,” said Indiana head rowing coach Steve Peterson. “She came to us for one year as a graduate student and truly wanted to pursue rowing. That year was the first year we really started to make a mark … and she was a huge reason for it.”

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, which U.S. intelligence officials have blamed on an apparent surface-to-air missile fired by pro-Russia militants, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana

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Quinn Lucas Schansman First American Identified As Malaysia Jet Victim

Quinn Lucas Schansman First American Identified As Malaysia Jet Victim

By Christine Mai-Duc, Los Angeles Times

President Barack Obama on Friday identified the first, and so far only, known American citizen aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

Quinn Lucas Schansman had dual Dutch and American citizenship, Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said on Twitter.
A Facebook profile appearing to belong to Schansman indicates that he was living in Amsterdam as of April, and attending the International Business School at Hogeschool van Amsterdam.

A photo posted by a woman who appears to be his girlfriend included numerous condolences from friends.

In a press conference, Obama called the plane crash a “global tragedy,” and said it should “snap everybody’s heads to attention” that the conflict in Ukraine has widespread consequences.

The president also called for an immediate ceasefire between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine and a “credible international investigation” into the incident.

Obama also noted that separatists have received a “steady flow” of support from Russia, including anti-aircraft weapons.

“Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile,” the President said. “That shot was taken in a territory controlled by the Russian separatists.

AFP Photo/Dominique Faget

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