Polish leader, 95 others dead in Russia jet crash

[classicman]

MOSCOW – Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 96, officials said.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

The crash devastated the upper echelons of Poland's political and military establishments. On board were the army chief of staff, national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said.

Although initial signs pointed to an accident with no indication of foul play, the death of a Polish president and much of the Polish state and defense establishment in Russia en route to commemorating one of the saddest events in Poland's long, complicated history with Russia, was laden with tragic irony.

Reflecting the grave sensibilities of the crash to relations between the two countries, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally assumed charge of the investigation. He was due in Smolensk later Saturday, where he would meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was flying in from Warsaw.

The Polish presidential plane was headed for a military airport, North Smolensk, located near an aviation plant.

Andrei Yevseyenkov, spokesman for the Smolensk regional government, said Russian dispatchers asked the crew to land in either Minsk, the capital of neighboring Belarus, or in Moscow because of the fog.

"But the crew made an independent decision to land in Smolensk," Yevseyenkov said in televised remarks.

No one answered the phone at the airport throughout the afternoon Saturday.

Russia's Emergency Ministry said there were 96 dead, 88 of whom were part of a Polish state delegation. Poland's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Piotr Paszkowski, said there were 89 people on the passenger list but one person had not shown up for the roughly 1 1/2-hour flight from Warsaw's main airport.

Link

What a tragedy.

[lumberjim]

holy all your eggs in one basket, batman.

[DanaC]

*shakes head* Awful.

I remember watching Star Trek and wondering why all the senior officers went off on away missions, together. Not very realistic I used to think. Bit of a risk.

[glatt]

Speaking of eggs in one basket, there will be something like 50 heads of state at the convention center in Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday. To say security will be heavy is an understatement.

My office is inside the security perimeter. It will be interesting to see if they let me go to work those days. They claim they will, with ID and business cards, but experience with DC cops tells me it's about 50/50 that they will.

[lumberjim]

well, make sure to wear an olive drab jacket and don't shave....and be all sweaty....and carry a lumpy burlap bag full of road flares.... that'll get you a day off.

[BrianR]

Originally Posted by DanaC

*shakes head* Awful.

I remember watching Star Trek and wondering why all the senior officers went off on away missions, together. Not very realistic I used to think. Bit of a risk.

I believe Starfleet protocols called for the Captain to remain on the bridge, a fact which was occasionally reminded to the ever-intrepid Captain Kirk. And which he routinely ignored. [/geek]

That said, in re, the article in question. There's a Polish joke in there somewhere but darned if I can find it.

[squirell nutkin]

What country sends all their top officials to Russia, in the fog on the same plane?

[lumberjim]

didn't you read the article?

this is nothing compared to the time one of their planes carrying 50 people crashed into a graveyard in the Czec Republic. They recovered 75 bodies.


too soon?

sorry.

[squirell nutkin]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

didn't you read the article?

this is nothing compared to the time one of their planes carrying 50 people crashed into a graveyard in the Czec Republic. They recovered 75 bodies.

Yes, but where did they bury the survivors?

[squirell nutkin]

Originally Posted by squirell nutkin

What country sends all their top officials to Russia, in the fog on the same plane?

LJ, That was supposed to be the setup for BrianR's Joke.

We could re-purpose the "I'd like 3 pounds of Polish sausage joke" and make it "I'd like a ticket from Warsaw to Smolensk please."
etc.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Thousands gathered outside the Presidential Palace Saturday night, with candles and flowers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

On Sunday, thousands waited along the route from the airport to the Presidential Palace, for the Presidents body to pass.

[TheMercenary]

The Russkies did it.

Why the hell would you put all the important people on the same AC?

Even the dumbassed Americans are not that stupid.....

[glatt]

The Russkies didn't help by leaving the airport open in a heavy fog, but the pilot should have landed in a different airport if visibility was that bad.

[Sundae]

The flag outside the prison was flying at half-mast today. Might have been a reaction to the crash? I'm too slack to bother looking it up though (sorry).