Air Force pilot's body found, identified after crash
     WASHINGTON - March 26, 1998 4:49 p.m. EST -- The body of a miss-
 ing Air Force pilot was recovered in South Korea Thursday and iden-
 tified as that of Capt. Keith Sands of Tulsa, Okla., the Air Force
 said.
     Sands was found by search and rescue personnel in the Yellow Sea
 after his F-16 jet crashed Wednesday night off South Korea's west
 coast.
     The aircraft was part of a four-plane formation conducting a
 routine combat training mission, according to a statement issued
 at Osan Air Base in Korea by the Air Force.
     The plane went down about 60 miles from the base at Osan, south
 of Seoul.
     "It is with deep sorrow to report the loss of Capt. Sands. He
 was part of our Osan family," said a statement issued by Brig. Gen.
 Paul Dordal, the commander of the base's 51st Fighter Wing. "Our
 hearts and prayers go out to his family, friends and loved ones for
 their loss."
     The cause of the accident is unknown. A board of officers is
 investigating the cause of the accident.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sandstorm forces planes to divert away from Cairo (Again. Jim)
     CAIRO, Egypt - March 26, 1998 5:19 p.m. EST -- A sandstorm en-
 gulfed most of Egypt on Thursday, reducing visibility to less than
 500 yards and forcing some flights heading to Cairo to land
 elsewhere.
    Two flights from Tunis and one from the Ivory Coast were diverted
 to Luxor, 300 miles south of Cairo, and to the southern Red Sea
 resort of Hurghada.
    Weather forecasters expected the sandstorm, which was centered
 in the Western Desert, to last two days. No wind speed was given.
    Egypt was hit with another fierce sandstorm 10 days ago. That
 resulted in 50 storm-related fires in Cairo and 25 traffic
 accidents.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 UPDATE
        Four Marines face charges in deaths of 20 in Italy
     WASHINGTON -- March 26, 1998 9:14 p.m. EST -- Four U.S. Marines
 will be charged with negligent homicide, involuntary manslaughter,
 dereliction of duty, destruction of government property and possibly
 other charges in the deaths of 20 people in Italy, Marine Corps
 sources told CNN Thursday.
     An official announcement of the charges is expected Friday.
     The four were crew members aboard a Marine Corps EA-6B "Prowler"
 when the pilot tried to fly under a cable car in a valley, but sev-
 ered the cable sending the large gondola plummeting to the ground,
 killing everyone aboard.
     U.S. military officials say the crew was flying too fast and too
 low when its jet clipped the cable of a ski gondola in northern
 Italy on February 3, sending those on board plunging to their
 deaths.
     The Marines were flying out of an air base at Aviano, Italy on
 the day of the tragedy.
     The jet was piloted by Capt. Richard Ashby, 30, of Mission Viejo,
 California. The three other members of the crew were Capt. William
 Raney, 26, of Englewood, Colorado; Capt. Joseph Schweitzer, 30, of
 Westbury, New York; and Capt. Chandler Seagraves, 28, of Nineveh,
 Indiana.
     All four Marines were returned to the United States recently.
 They will face court martial at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina,
 sources said.
     American military officials had informed the Italian government
 it would not turn over the crew members for possible criminal pro-
 secution in Italy. Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said Italy
 would not press for a reversal of the decision.
     Under a 1951 NATO agreement, the United States has jurisdiction
 over criminal charges stemming from the actions of its troops while
 on active duty.
 ===
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