Polish president died in plane crash in western Russia

Polish President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of others in a high-level delegation were killed Saturday when their plane crashed on landing outside the western Russian city of Smolensk, officials said. Russian state television reported that the Tu-154 jet crashed about a kilometer short of the runway on its fourth attempt to land in heavy fog at the Smolensk-Severnyi military airport, shortly before 11 am Moscow time. Russian officials say the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, and his wife were among those killed in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia. Video courtesy of Reuters. Reports of the number killed in the crash varied. Polish officials put the figure at 88, while Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said 96 had died and Russia's Investigative Committee said the total was 132. "We still cannot fully understand the scope of this tragedy and what it means for us in the future," said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Piotr Paszkowski. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Poland." "We can assume with great certainty that all persons on board have been killed." Passengers included the president and his wife as well as other top officials. Slawomir Skrzypek, president of the National Bank of Poland, was also on board. Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Piotr Pszkowski said that the army chief of staff and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer were also on board the plane. The plane "clipped the tops of the trees, crashed and broke into pieces," the governor of the ...

Channel: YouTube Video Length: 4m 2s Date Found: Sat, Apr 10 2010 10:11 AM Category: Home Video Date Produced: Sat, Apr 10 2010 9:57 AM View Count: 0