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President of Poland and other high-ranking officials killed in plane crash
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| chico |
MOLENSK, Russia, April 10 (Reuters) - Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski, its central bank head and the country’s military chief were among 96 people killed when their plane crashed in thick fog on its approach to a Russian airport on Saturday.
The death of Kaczynski, who with his twin brother was a dominant force in Polish politics, brings political uncertainty. A presidential election had been due in October but now must be held within two months, according to the constitution. The president’s wife and several other high-ranking government officials were also aboard the aged Tupolev Tu-154 that plunged into a forest about two km (1.3 miles) from the airport in the western Russian city of Smolensk.
Pilot error was a possible reason for the crash, said Andrei Yevseyenkov, spokesman for the Smolensk local government. Local officials said the plane had clipped treetops on its way down.
"The political consequences will be long-term and possibly will change the entire future landscape of Polish politics," said Jacek Wasilewski, professor at the Higher School of Social Psychology in Warsaw.
Kaczynski, 59, was a one-time ally of Solidarity hero Lech Walesa and a co-founder of the rightist Law and Justice party with his brother. He resigned from the party when he became president in 2005 but continued to support it.
A party source said his twin Jaroslaw Kaczynski was not on board the plane that crashed.
While the president’s role is largely symbolic, the holder can veto government legislation. Lech Kaczynski infuriated the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk several times by blocking legislation including health sector reform.
The speaker of the lower house of parliament, Bronislaw Komorowski, has been named acting president, as the constitution stipulates. Komorowski is also Tusk’s presidential candidate in the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party.
SMOULDERING FUSELAGE
Russian television showed the smouldering fuselage and fragments of the plane scattered in a forest. A Reuters reporter saw a broken wing some distance from the rest of the aircraft.
The plane was one of two Tupolev TU-154M’s in the Polish government fleet, both about 20 years old. Government officials had complained about the age of Poland’s official fleet.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said 96 people were aboard the government plane, including 88 members of a Polish delegation en route to commemorate Poles killed in mass murders in the town of Katyn under orders from Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1940.
Earlier reports had said 132 people were aboard. Smolensk regional governor Sergei Antufyev and Polish state news agency PAP said there were no survivors.
A Russian mission control official who had been present during conversations with the pilot told Reuters the pilot had ignored advice.
"The pilot was advised to fly to Moscow or Minsk because of heavy fog, but he still decided to land. No one should have been landing in that fog," he said, on condition his name was not published.
FLOWERS AND CANDLES
Polish Justice Minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski said he would order a special inquiry into the crash.
Church services were hastily held throughout Poland. In Warsaw people started gathering outside the presidential palace to lay flowers and light candles.
"I’m all broken up ... it cannot be expressed in words," said Ewa Robaczewska.
Among the other casualties of the crash were Kaczynski’s wife Maria, along with Slawomir Skrzypek, 47, who had been central bank governor since 2007, the chief of Poland’s military Franciszek Gagor and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer.
Under Polish law, the president also names the head of the central bank.
Some relatives of victims of the Katyn massacres were also on board the plane, said a Polish government official in Smolensk.
Thousands of Polish prisoners of war and intellectuals were murdered at Katyn by Soviet forces in spring 1940 in an enduring symbol for Poles of their suffering under Soviet rule.
© Copyright (c) Reuters
SOURCE - http://www.montrealgazette.com/news...7265/story.html |
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| MikeyN |
Heard about this earlier this morning... May they rest in peace.
It'll be interesting to see what the long-term political implications will be :conf: |
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| chico |
| quote: | Originally posted by MikeyN
Heard about this earlier this morning... May they rest in peace.
It'll be interesting to see what the long-term political implications will be :conf: |
likewise, i was surprised not to see a thread and thought people should know.
very sad news, hopefully the governmental changes can be implemented quickly and effectively to keep the country stabilised. |
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| Dj Gracjan |
| it is unfortunate, but 20 year old planes??? common get your together man!! |
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| MikeyN |
| quote: | Originally posted by chico
likewise, i was surprised not to see a thread and thought people should know.
very sad news, hopefully the governmental changes can be implemented quickly and effectively to keep the country stabilised. |
Couldn't agree more. Understandably, getting from now to election day will be a chaotic process, as I'm sure they'll be scrambling like hell to elect a new President (they already should be), but hopefully the stability of the country isn't compromised in the process. |
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| Djsketchbag |
| Terrrible News, so sad for my country man and anyone who lost loved one :( |
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| VDub |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Gracjan
it is unfortunate, but 20 year old planes??? common get your together man!! |
So many polish jokes but I will control myself this time...
And about the age of the plane... Are you kidding???
There are many many 20 year old planes flying in our own airline fleets...
The problem is that it was a 20 year old Russian plane...
Those were at 20 days old... |
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| The Highroller |
| quote: | Originally posted by VDub
So many polish jokes but I will control myself this time...
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:rolleyes:
Was that really necessary?
My thoughts and prayers go out to Poland. This is a tragedy! |
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| Magnetonium |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Gracjan
it is unfortunate, but 20 year old planes??? common get your together man!! |
Yes, indeed, but this is absolutely shocking, terrible, I still cant believe it!!! Especially the circumstances of the stop-over, for Katyn. This is a huge shocker. Many senior officials. Unreal.
Its a bit embarassing for the Russian government, too, considering the Katyn massacre, and this could create some tensions or further distancing between the countries. They may need to built another memorial. Russian government needs to come up with some smart announcements soon, instead of what I heard so far in the Russian media that it was the pilots fault (repeatedly). Although it appears so.
Unreal.
:nervous: |
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| VERTiG0 |
| Heh, a Tupolev. Figures. |
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| Dj Gracjan |
| quote: | Originally posted by VDub
So many polish jokes but I will control myself this time...
And about the age of the plane... Are you kidding???
There are many many 20 year old planes flying in our own airline fleets...
The problem is that it was a 20 year old Russian plane...
Those were at 20 days old... |
I understand that there are many old planes, but this is a president...can you imagine Harper or Obama on a 20 year old plane? no because that just doesn't happen |
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| FunkyCrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by VDub
The problem is that it was a 20 year old Russian plane...
Those were at 20 days old... |
wow please talk about something you know - since when are you the expert in aviation construction?
| quote: | Poland has long discussed replacing the planes that carry the country's leaders but said they lacked the funds.
The presidential plane was fully overhauled in December, the general director of the Aviakor aviation maintenance plant in Samara, Russia told Rossiya-24. The plant repaired the plane's three engines, retrofitted electronic and navigation equipment and updated the interior, Alexei Gusev said. He said there could be no doubts that the plane was flightworthy. |
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...article1530087/ |
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