Woman lived on fruit

Press, 12 October 1985, Page 10

Woman lived on fruit

NZPA-Reuter Port Said A crippled Austrian woman described how she hid in a cabin when she realised the Achille Lauro was being hijacked, and survived the 52-hour ordeal on two apples. “I hid in a cabin, in the toilet, under the bed, wherever I found space to hide,” said Anna Hoerangner, aged 53, from Salzburg. “I was the only one in the corridor. When people came with guns they started shooting. They threw me down and I headed for the next cabin while the hijackers searched for the others.

“I found two apples and every day I ate half an apple and drank whatever water was available.” Mrs Hoerangner has had a foot amputated, and that was why she did not go sight-seeing with most of the passengers — who escaped the hijack — on Monday.

“After I fell, I saw the hijackers were going to other places. But luckily enough, just the very next cabin happened to be open. If it had been any other cabin, I would not have reached it,” she said. “While they were looking for others, I had only one thought, to get away. It was

awful, I really could not describe it. I had fear all the time.” A reporter asked how she realised it was over. “I realised because at 2 p.m. everything was very silent and I thought that if everything stays silent till 4 p.m. then it must be over. But I didn’t go out at four because I didn’t dare. Besides, the cabin was locked from the outside.” She was discovered the next morning. “Someone came to clean up the room. He saw me and wanted to leave the cabin. But I called him and asked him if everything was over and be confirmed it”