MOSCOW — A plane carrying the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, and his wife crashed in western Russia on Saturday morning, and there were no survivors, according to Russian media.
Officials did not immediately have information on the identities of the dead.
A spokeswoman for the emergency management ministry said on Russian television that the plane, a Tupolev 154, crashed as it was landing in Smolensk, and 87 people on board had died.
Mr. Kaczynski had been due in western Russia to commemorate the anniversary of the murder of thousands of Polish officers by the Soviet Union at the beginning of World War II.
The ceremonies were to be held at a site in the Katyn forest close to Smolensk, where 70 years ago members of the Soviet secret police executed more than 20,000 Polish officers captured after the Soviet Army invaded Poland in 1939.
MOSCOW (AP) — Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife died Saturday along with 130 others when their plane crashed while coming in for a landing in western Russia, officials said.
The head of Russia’s top investigative body, Sergei Markin, said there were a total of 132 people on the plane, a Tu-154.
Kaczynski, 60, became president in December 2005 after defeating Tusk in that year’s presidential vote. The nationalist conservative was the twin brother of Poland’s opposition leader, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
UPDATE: 4.10.2010:
I know people are wondering if this was an act of terrorism, and no one can or will say if it is right now. All I had to do though was see this new story from the BBC to realize that there is more to this story than they are telling.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski and scores of others have been killed in a plane crash in Russia.
Polish and Russian officials said no-one had survived after the plane apparently hit trees as it approached Smolensk’s airport in thick fog.
Poland’s army chief, central bank governor, MPs and leading historians were among more than 80 passengers.
They were flying in from Warsaw to mark 70 years since the Katyn massacre of thousands of Poles by Soviet forces.
As well as the president and his wife, Maria, a number of senior officials were on the passenger list.
They included the army chief of staff Gen Franciszek Gagor, central bank governor Slawomir Skrzypek and deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer. (emphasis mine)
World leaders including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered their condolences to Poland.
Mr Kaczynski, who had fewer powers than the prime minister but had a significant say in foreign policy, was a controversial figure in Polish politics.
He had advocated a right-wing Catholic agenda, opposed rapid free-market reforms and favoured retaining social welfare programmes.
This is awful. I wonder if there was foul play involved
no-nonsence-nancy on April 10, 2010 at 11:27 am
According to yahoo news the air traffic controllers advised the pilot to go another route away from the thick fog and he ignored them and tried to land the plane safely anyway.
My question is that given so many of their important public officials were lost, why were they all flying on the same plane? It isn’t good business practice. On a very small scale, in my small town our undertakers are brothers who are partners. They told me years ago that they never go in the same vehicle together whether a private car ,a hearse or whatever, so that if one is killed the other survives. This may sound a little drastic but I think shows good judgement.
Nancy – it is my understanding the the entire press pool was supposed to be on that plane and at the last minute they were pulled off and put on another plane so as to put all those leaders together. Sound suspicious?
timesarechanging on April 12, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Yes it does Monster, the whole scene stinks. Lame Cherry.com has some insight that makes sense to me. Another thing that has happened today that makes me think. We have read about the TN mother who sent her adopted son back the Russia. True it’s bad but then again I don’t know everything. Now O has sent a group of Americans to Russia to investigate. What about investigating the murder of the Polish President, Mr. Nobel Prize Fraud?
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This is awful. I wonder if there was foul play involved
According to yahoo news the air traffic controllers advised the pilot to go another route away from the thick fog and he ignored them and tried to land the plane safely anyway.
My question is that given so many of their important public officials were lost, why were they all flying on the same plane? It isn’t good business practice. On a very small scale, in my small town our undertakers are brothers who are partners. They told me years ago that they never go in the same vehicle together whether a private car ,a hearse or whatever, so that if one is killed the other survives. This may sound a little drastic but I think shows good judgement.
Nancy – it is my understanding the the entire press pool was supposed to be on that plane and at the last minute they were pulled off and put on another plane so as to put all those leaders together. Sound suspicious?
Yes it does Monster, the whole scene stinks. Lame Cherry.com has some insight that makes sense to me. Another thing that has happened today that makes me think. We have read about the TN mother who sent her adopted son back the Russia. True it’s bad but then again I don’t know everything. Now O has sent a group of Americans to Russia to investigate. What about investigating the murder of the Polish President, Mr. Nobel Prize Fraud?