Polish President dies a county in mourning

Today a sea of candles shines outside Poland’s presidential palace after the body of president Lech Kaczynski arrived home, on Saturday both he and his wife Maria along with 94 other members of the country’s elite were killed when their plane crashed in Russia as it was trying to land at a military air base in thick fog, among the dead there was Poland’s army chief of staff, the navy chief commander as well as heads of air and land forces.

They had been bound for a 70th anniversary memorial service for the 22,000 leading Poles massacred by Stalin’s secret police in the Katyn forest during the Second World War, this crash adding to the wounds of that event which still have not been healed.

Investigations are underway as to why he jet’s two experienced air force pilots ignored repeated advice from Russian ground control to take the Tupolev 154 to another airport. At least one other plane had already been diverted, Russian officials say pilots ignored warnings that they were flying too low. Some experts say the crew may have been ordered to press on with the landing by the president or a senior military commander on board.

The body of President Kaczynski was flown into Warsaw’s military airport, the president’s twin brother Jaroslaw, a former prime minister, knelt on the tarmac and pressed his head against the flag-draped coffin, Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria’s only daughter Marta paid a solemn tribute as her father’s coffin arrived.

As tens of thousands of mourners stood in silence along the hearse’s six-mile route to the palace questions were been asked about the cause of the crash, despite bad weather being blamed for and if the Russians were involved due to the deep running suspicions Poles historically have with Russia.

Picture courtesy of munhitsu

World News