RIP Lech Kaczyński
Sad news from western Russia this evening. The President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, has been killed in a plane crash from which there are no survivors.
MOSCOW – 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 governor of the Smolensk region, where the crash took place about 11 a.m. (0700 GMT), said no one survived.
“The Polish presidential plane did not make it to the runway while landing. Tentative findings indicate that it hit the treetops and fell apart,” Sergei Anufriev said on state news channel Rossiya-24. “Nobody has survived the disaster.”
The Polish foreign ministry confirmed that Kaczynski and his wife were aboard the plane.
The head of Russia’s top investigative body, Sergei Markin, said there were a total of 132 people on the plane, a Tu-154.
It is sad whenever an elected head of state is killed, however given my political allegiances I am especially saddened by this news, as Lech Kaczyński was one of those few good politicians who had plenty of good conservative values and recognised the inherent dangers in allowing giant bureaucracies like the European Union to be allowed to expand in to domestic affairs.
My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Kaczyński’s family, and all of Poland, at this terrible and tragic time.
May Lech Kaczyński rest in peace. He will be missed.
Update: This story is getting worse unfortunately. It seems that many more high-ranking Polish officials were on the plane. More from the FOX News story linked above:
Kaczynski was flying to Russia for events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police in Katyn and elsewhere during World War II.
The presidential plane was a Soviet-built Tupolev TU154M, at least 20 years old. The Army chief of staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagor, National Bank President Slawomir Skrzypek and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremoer were on the passenger list.
In Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an extraordinary meeting of his Cabinet.
[..]
According to the constitution, [Parliament speaker Bronislaw] Komorowski would take over presidential duties.
The next Presidential election was due in Spring. It may now be brought forward.
End Update
Samuel
April 10th, 2010 at 07:07pm