Poland’s President and 96 other die in plane crash
Molly Burns
On Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 thousands of mourners showed up to the presidential palace to grieve and pay respects to Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska. Kaczynska and his wife were two of 96 people killed in a plane crash in Russia on Saturday while flying to attend a memorial for military officers that had been executed by Stalin’s secret Police during World War II. In addition to the president and his wife, 18 lawmakers from Poland’s parliament, military and religious leaders were also killed. Although the cause of the accident has not been officially determined yet, investigators have implied that the crash may have been caused by human error during foggy conditions. This was based of the fact that there was no fire onboard or explosions, and the engines were working properly. The President and his wife are set to have their funeral on Sunday at Krokow’s Wawel Cathedral, the main burial site of Polish leaders since the 14th century. The accident is being called the greatest tragedy in Poland’s postwar history by many citizens.
- Krokow: the second largest city in Poland.
- Lech Kaczynski: born June 18th, 1949, Kaczynski was Poland’s president from 2005-2010, and was an activist in the 1970’s in the pro-democratic, anti-communist movement.
Additional Reading
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/poland_in_mourning.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5HRIwocn5cLZn75suY8xsI5-1bgD9F296JG0
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8617129.stm
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