By Cameron McWhirter And Ryan Tracy
NOKESVILLE, Va.--An American mother and daughter from Virginia
were among passengers killed when a German Airbus A320 crashed in
the French Alps on Tuesday.
The U.S. State Department said Yvonne Selke and her daughter
Emily, from Nokesville, died in the crash that killed 150, leaving
no survivors.
Ms. Selke was a defense contractor employed by government
consultant Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. "Booz Allen and our employees
are mourning the sudden and shocking death of Yvonne Selke, an
employee of nearly 23 years, and her daughter, Emily, in the
Germanwings airliner crash in the French Alps this week," the
company said in a statement. "Yvonne was a wonderful co-worker and
a dedicated employee."
The State Department said a third American was on the
Germanwings flight, but didn't identify that person. The plane was
flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf.
Ms. Selke, who was in her 50s, worked at the Pentagon's National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency as a contractor, according to Booz
Allen.
Drexel University in Philadelphia, where daughter Emily
graduated from in 2013, also confirmed the two were killed. The
younger Ms. Selke was a music industry major. The university's
chapter of Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority posted a statement on its
Facebook page that the chapter mourned the loss of the two women:
"As a person and friend, Emily always put others before herself and
cared deeply for all those in her life."
A statement from a family member called the women "two
wonderful, caring, amazing people who meant so much to so many,"
and asked for privacy and prayers.
On Wednesday afternoon, reporters and television crews gathered
outside the Selke home, a large two-story residence at the end of a
long driveway on a wooded suburban street in Nokesville, which is
part of Prince William County and about an hour south of
Washington.
One neighbor said the family had asked her not to speak to the
press to preserve their privacy. "I've known them for 20 years.
They are wonderful, wonderful, people," she said. "It's just
horrible."
Word about the deaths spread across the neighborhood via a local
Facebook page. "This is so terribly sad," one post said.
"Our neighborhood is shocked," said Eve Green, who leads the
local neighborhood watch. She said she didn't know the family well
but "we are just trying to figure out how we can help."
Write to Cameron McWhirter at cameron.mcwhirter@wsj.com and Ryan
Tracy at ryan.tracy@wsj.com
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