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Polish President Killed in Plane Crash

   Lech  Kaczynski  and  his  wife,  along  with  some  Polish government
   officials,  were  among  132  people  on  the  plane, which crashed in
   western Russia.

     10 April 2010

Photo: AP

   FILE  -  In  this  March  15,  2010  file  photo Polish President Lech
   Kaczynski  and wife Maria are seen in front of the Presidential Palace
   in Warsaw. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, file)

   Russian  officials  say  Polish President Lech Kaczynski has died in a
   plane crash in western Russia.
   They say all 132 people on the plane were killed in the crash Saturday
   at  0700  UTC.  Polish officials confirmed that the president and his
   wife Maria were on board.
   Passengers also included Poland's army chief, Franciszek Gagor, deputy
   foreign  minister, Andrzej Kremer, and central bank governor, Slawomir
   Skrzypek.
   Mr.   Kaczynski's  Russian-made  Tupelov  aircraft  went  down  as  it
   approached Smolensk airport.
   Video  from  the  crash  site  showed the wreckage in a heavily wooded
   area,  with part of the plane on fire.  News reports say the aircraft
   struck  treetops  before  crashing.   The exact cause of the crash is
   under investigation.
   The  Polish  government  is  expected  to  hold  an  emergency meeting
   Saturday.
   Poland's  constitution  calls  for  the  speaker  of  the  parliament,
   Bronislaw Komorowski, to assume presidential duties.
   Mr.   Kaczynski   was  heading  to  Russia  to  commemorate  the  70th
   anniversary  of the World War II-era killing of 22,000 Polish officers
   by Soviet security forces at the town of Katyn near Smolensk.

   Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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