WARSAW, Poland—The remains of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who was tragically killed alongside his wife and other top officials in an airplane crash on Saturday morning, were flown on Sunday to Warsaw from the crash site near the city of Smolensk, Russia.
The welcoming ceremony at the airport, where the casket containing President Kaczynski’s body was officially received on Polish soil by government representatives, was attended by the president’s immediate family and important heads of state.
A crowd of several hundred thousand assembled on the streets of the Polish capital to pay their respects, lining the route that the motorcade took from the airport to the Presidential Palace.
Emotions were running high as the motorcade passed the crowds, with some onlookers weeping and even fainting and requiring medical intervention. Some stood in silence, others applauded, prayed, or threw flowers.
The largest crowd assembled outside the Presidential Palace, where the casket was placed in a chapel for public viewing.
The welcoming ceremony at the airport, where the casket containing President Kaczynski’s body was officially received on Polish soil by government representatives, was attended by the president’s immediate family and important heads of state.
A crowd of several hundred thousand assembled on the streets of the Polish capital to pay their respects, lining the route that the motorcade took from the airport to the Presidential Palace.
Emotions were running high as the motorcade passed the crowds, with some onlookers weeping and even fainting and requiring medical intervention. Some stood in silence, others applauded, prayed, or threw flowers.
The largest crowd assembled outside the Presidential Palace, where the casket was placed in a chapel for public viewing.
The Greatest Tragedy Poland Has Seen Since World War II
President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and key public figures were tragically killed in an airplane crash near Smolensk, Russia, en route to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, which had taken place a mere 12 miles from the crash site.
The World War II massacre, an acknowledged war crime, saw the systematic execution of some 22,000 Polish military officers, intellectuals, and public servants, by communist Russian security forces. It had been a sore spot in Polish-Russian relations for decades.
The ceremony was widely considered to be a sort of reconciliation, with Russian authorities finally publicly acknowledging the event and offering an apology.
The plane crashed on its second approach, when the Siewiernyj military airstrip was enshrouded in a dense fog and visibility was extremely low. The pilots were advised four times by controllers at the Smolensk airport to divert, but decided they would approach landing and then decide whether to touch down or divert to an alternate airport.
They were flying a Polish-owned 20-year-old Soviet-built Tupolev-154 jet.
Russian officials say the plane clipped the treetops while trying to land, then went down, crashed, and burned. The crash killed all 97 on board including 89 passengers and eight crew members, according to Russia’s Emergency Ministry.
The ceremony was widely considered to be a sort of reconciliation, with Russian authorities finally publicly acknowledging the event and offering an apology.
The plane crashed on its second approach, when the Siewiernyj military airstrip was enshrouded in a dense fog and visibility was extremely low. The pilots were advised four times by controllers at the Smolensk airport to divert, but decided they would approach landing and then decide whether to touch down or divert to an alternate airport.
They were flying a Polish-owned 20-year-old Soviet-built Tupolev-154 jet.
Russian officials say the plane clipped the treetops while trying to land, then went down, crashed, and burned. The crash killed all 97 on board including 89 passengers and eight crew members, according to Russia’s Emergency Ministry.
Most of the Polish political elite were on the plane including ministers, members of Parliament, Polish clergy, historians, the directors of the national security service, and other top officials.
The tragedy brought condolences from heads of state around the world. U.S. President Barack Obama personally called Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to express his “deepest condolences.”
“Today’s loss is devastating to Poland, to the United States, and to the world,” said Obama in a statement.
According to the Polish Constitution, the interim leader of the country is the speaker of the lower house of Parliament, Bronislaw Komorowski. New elections must be called within two weeks and then held within two months of deciding the election date.
“Today, in the face of this national drama, we stand together. Today there is no division between left and right. Difference of opinion and creed mean nothing now,” Komorowski said on Saturday in a televised address.
The tragedy brought condolences from heads of state around the world. U.S. President Barack Obama personally called Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to express his “deepest condolences.”
“Today’s loss is devastating to Poland, to the United States, and to the world,” said Obama in a statement.
According to the Polish Constitution, the interim leader of the country is the speaker of the lower house of Parliament, Bronislaw Komorowski. New elections must be called within two weeks and then held within two months of deciding the election date.
“Today, in the face of this national drama, we stand together. Today there is no division between left and right. Difference of opinion and creed mean nothing now,” Komorowski said on Saturday in a televised address.
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