“Since...Sunday they've been trying to find flights back home because the country has been shut down,” McKenzie Scharf, Spiekermeier’s daughter, said. Spiekermeier of Grand Forks and Simons of Wahpeton could not catch a flight out of the African nation. Hruby and Scharf said their mom was disappointed that the governments of the United Kingdom and France picked up their citizens first. After catching a connecting flight in New York City, Scharf said they'll be landing at Hector International Airport on Sunday. The stranded North Dakotans said the Air France plane they boarded in Morocco was empty and the flight crew was comprised of volunteers.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 21, 2020 01:30 UTC