Who Were Alexander & Sascha Pinczowski? The Siblings Were Returning To New York From Brussels

In the days following the terrorist attack in Brussels, families and friends of those thought to be missing have been desperately searching for any information about their loved ones. Sadly, the news the families of Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski received early Friday morning was confirmation that their remains had been positively identified, and that they had died in the attack at the Zaventem airport, according to CBS News. Who were Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski? The siblings were Dutch citizens who had been living in New York City, and who were returning to the U.S. from Belgium when they were killed. According to the Washington Post, the Pinczowskis called their mother Tuesday morning from the departure hall of the Zaventem airport to check in just before the explosions occurred. The phone went dead following the blast, and that was the last anyone heard from them.

According to CBS New York, the Pinczowskis had been visiting their father in the Netherlands. Alexander Pinczowski was engaged to Cameron Cain, the daughter of James Cain, a former U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Following the attack, Cain took to Twitter to ask for help trying to find Pinczowski, writing, “My bf & his sis are still missing since this morning. They were in the departure hall at time. Please help.”

According to ABC, the Pinczowski family released a statement Friday confirming that Alexander and Sascha did not survive the attack:

We received confirmation this morning from Belgian Authorities and the Dutch Embassy of the positive identification of the remains of Alexander and Sascha. We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all. The Family is in the process of making arrangements.

At least 31 people died in the bombings at Zaventem and at Maelbeek metro station, and 60 others remain in critical condition, according to BBC News. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is currently in Brussels, confirmed Friday that Americans are among those killed, according to CNN, but did not confirm how many, or if he was referring to the Pinczowskis or others.

Stephanie Shultz and her husband Justin, who are American but have been living in Belgium for two years, are also among the missing. According to CNN, the couple was dropping off Stephanie’s mother, Carolyn Moore, at the airport following her visit, and have not been seen or heard from since. Moore has been found and is suffering from hearing loss after being knocked over by the explosion while trying to go through security.

Among others confirmed dead in the attack are a Peruvian mother of 4-year-old twins, a Belgian law student, and a Belgian government employee who was on his way to work, according to CNN. More than a dozen others remain missing, as the work of identifying those killed continues.