Three Mormon missionaries from Utah and a U.S. Air Force officer and his family were among the scores of people injured in Tuesday’s bombings in Brussels.
The three missionaries were assigned to a mission in Paris and were accompanying a fourth missionary to the airport when two explosions hit the departures area of the airport, according to a statement issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Church officials identified the three who were “seriously injured” as 66-year-old Richard Norby of Lehi, Utah; 20-year-old Joseph Empey of Santa Clara, Utah; and 19-year-old Mason Wells of Sandy, Utah. All three were hospitalized, but the extent of their injuries and their current conditions were not immediately known.
The missionaries were escorting 20-year-old Fanny Rachel Clain of Montelimar, France, to the airport for a flight to the U.S., where she was being placed in a mission assignment in Ohio, according to the church’s statement. She had already cleared security at the time the bombs went off.
The service member and his family were also injured in the blasts at the airport, according to the Air Force. The service member, who was not identified, was assigned to the Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands. The extent of the family’s injuries was not disclosed.
At least 30 people were killed and more than 200 injured when two bombs went off at the airport and a third inside the subway in the Belgian capital Tuesday morning.
“Our prayers are with the families of the deceased and injured, including three of our missionaries who were injured and hospitalized,” the LDS Church statement read. “We also pray for the people of Belgium and France as they continue to deal with the uncertainty and devastation caused by the recent terrorist attacks.”
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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