A plane carrying Poland’s president Lech Kaczynski and others travelling to Smolensk for a Katyn commemoration ceremony has crashed. Ninety six people were reported on board the ageing Tupolev Tu-154 presidential plane.
Foreign Minister spokesman Piotr Paszkowski said that the presidential plane, which took off from Warsaw airport at 6.50 CET this morning, crashed and burst into flames as it was manoeuvring to land at an airport Smolensk, 225 kilometres from Moscow. The governor of Smolensk has confirmed that nobody on board survived the crash.
"As it was preparing for landing, the Polish president's aircraft did not make it to the landing strip," Governor Sergei Antufiev told Russian TV.
President Kaczynski with First Lady MariaThe Russian emergencies ministry told Itar-Tass news agency the plane crashed at 1056 Moscow time (0756 CET). Eye witnesses say that the plane tried to land no less than four times in what was very bad weather conditions with bad visibility.
Russian TV is reporting that the left wing of the plane touched the tops of some trees, forcing the aircraft to crash where it broke into several pieces and burst into flames.
President Kaczynski, accompanied by distinguished guests including head of the Institute of National Remembrance Janusz Kurtyka, head of the Polish National Bank Slawomir Skrzypek and First Lady Maria Kaczynska were on their way to join war veterans this morning attending a 70th anniversary ceremony to the victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre.
Many of Poland's political and military elite appear to have lost their lives in the accident, including Poland’s the last president in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, former defence minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski, head of the Presidential Chancellery Wladyslaw Stasiak, presidential spokesman Pawel Wypych, Secretary of State Mariusz Handzlik, head of the Law and Justice party in parliament Przemyslaw Gosiewski, MP Zbigniew Wassermann and Bishop Tadeusz Płoski.
Flags flying outside the Presidential Palace in Warsaw have been lowered to half-mast.
Komorowski takes over as head of state
According to Poland’s constitution, on the death of a president which in office, the second highest ranking politician takes over as head of state, in this case this is Speaker of Parliament Bronislaw Komorowski. Poland’s public television station TVP is reporting that on the death of Poland’s head of state, a date for presidential elections must be called within two weeks and take place no later than 60 days.
"In line with the constitution, we will have to hold an early presidential poll," government spokesman Pawel Gras told Reuters.
A special mass will be held for the dead at Wawel castle in Krakow this afternoon.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk has left Gdansk for Warsaw this morning and has called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The list of those dead include Lech Kaczyński, Maria Kaczyńska, Ryszard Kaczorowski, Jerzy Szmajdziński, Władysław Stasiak, Aleksander Szczygło, Paweł Wypych , Mariusz Handzlik, Andrzej Kremer , Franciszek Gągor, Andrzej Przewoźnik, Grzegorz Dolniak, Przemysław Gosiewski, Zbigniew Wassermann, Janusz Kochanowski, Sławomir Skrzypek, Janusz Kurtyka, Bishop Tadeusz Płoski , Grażyna Gęsicka.
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