Crash: A planecarrying Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria (picturedhere in 2007) has crashed on approach to Smolensk airport in westernRussia (image taken from second article below)

Sat Apr 10, 5:31 AMET

In this imagetaken from Rossia 24 television channel TV, pieces of the plane carryingPolish President Lech Kaczynski lie scattered after crashing nearSmolensk in western Russia, Saturday, April 10, 2010. Polish PresidentLech Kaczynski and his wife died Saturday along with 130 others whentheir plane crashed while coming in for a landing in western Russia,officials said.

MOSCOW – PolishPresident Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highestmilitary and civilian leaders died when the presidential plane crashedas it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia on Saturday,killing 96, officials said.

Russian and Polish officials said there wereno survivors on the Soviet-era Tupolev, which was taking the president,his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of themassacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

The Army chief of staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagor,National Bank President Slawomir Skrzypek and Deputy Foreign MinisterAndrzej Kremer were also on board, the Polish foreign ministry said.

Russia's Emergency Ministry said there were96 dead, 88 part of a Polish state delegation. Poland's Foreign Ministryspokesman, Piotr Paszkowski, said there were 89 people on the passengerlist but one person had not shown up.

"We still cannot fully understand the scopeof this tragedy and what it means for us in the future. Nothing likethis has ever happened in Poland,"Paszkowski said. "We can assume with great certainty that all personson board have been killed."

The governor of the Smolensk region, wherethe crash took place about 11 a.m. (0700 GMT), also said no onesurvived.

State news channel Rossiya-24 showed footagefrom the crash site, with pieces of the plane scattered widely amidleafless trees and small fires burning in woods shrouded with fog. Atail fin with the Polish red and white colors stuck up from the debris.

"The Polish presidential plane did not makeit to the runway while landing. Tentative findings indicate that it hitthe treetops and fell apart," regional governor Sergei Anufriev said onRossiya-24. "Nobody has survived the disaster."

The presidential Tu-154 was at least 20 yearsold. Polish officials have long discussed replacing the planes thatcarry the country's leaders but said they lacked the funds. According tothe Aviation Safety Network, there have been 66 crashes involvingTu-154s, including six in the past five years. The Russian carrier Aeroflot recentlywithdrew its Tu-154 fleet from service.

Polish-Russian relations had been improvingof late after being poisoned for decades over the Katyn massacre.

Russianever has formally apologized for the murders of some 22,000 Polishofficers, but PrimeMinister Vladimir Putin's decision to attend a memorial ceremonyearlier this week in the forest near Katyn was seen as a gesture of goodwilltoward reconciliation. Rossiya-24 showed hundreds of people around theKatyn monument, many holding Polish flags, some weeping.

Putin has been put in charge of a commissioninvestigating the crash, the Kremlin said.

In Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called anextraordinary meeting of his Cabinet and the national flag was lowered to half-staff atthe presidential palace, where people gathered to lay flowers and lightcandles.

Black ribbons appeared in some windows in thePolish capital.

Poland's president is commander-in-chief ofits armed forces but the position's domestic duties are chieflysymbolic. Kaczynski, 60, became president in December 2005 afterdefeating Tusk in that year's presidential vote.

The nationalist conservative was the twinbrother of Poland's opposition leader, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.Kaczynski's wife, Maria, was an economist. They had a daughter, Marta,and two granddaughters.

Kaczynski had said he would seek a secondterm in presidential elections this fall. He was expected to face anuphill struggle against Parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, thecandidate of Tusk's governing Civic Platform party.

According to the constitution, Komorowskiwould take over presidential duties.

Poland, a nationof 38 million people, is by far the largest of the 10 formerly communistcountries that have joined the European Union in recent years.

Last year, Poland was the only EU nation to avoid recession and postedeconomic growth of 1.7 percent.

It has become a firm U.S. ally in the region since the fall of communism— a stance that crosses party lines.

The country sent troops to the U.S.-led war in Iraq and recently boosted itscontingent in Afghanistanto some 2,600 soldiers.

U.S. Patriot missiles are expected to be deployed in Poland this year.That was a Polish condition for a 2008 deal — backed by both Kaczynskiand Tusk — to host long-range missile defense interceptors.

The deal, which was struck by the Bush administration, angered Russia and was laterreconfigured under PresidentBarack Obama's administration.

Under the Obama plan, Poland would host a different type of missile defenseinterceptors as part of a more mobile system and at a later date,probably not until 2018.

Kaczynski is the first serving Polish leader to die since exiled World War II-era leaderGen. Wladyslaw Sikorski in a plane crash off Gibraltar in 1943.

U.S. State Departmentspokesman P.J. Crowley said Saturday, "This is a horrible tragedyfor Poland and we extend to the people of Poland our deepestcondolences."

Neighboring Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said he was "shocked andfull of sadness" at Kaczynski's death.

"All the German people are mourning with our Polish neighbors,"Westerwelle said during a visit to South Africa.

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Associated Press Writers Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Geir Moulson inBerlin, Deborah Seward in Paris and Naomi Koppel in London contributedto this report.

Article: HERE

Wreckage: The fuselageof the plane lies in woodland near Smolensk airport

Polish president Lech Kaczynski andhis wife Maria have been killed after their plane  crashed on approachto Smolensk airport in western Russia.

Russian news agencies reported at least 87people died in the crash near Smolensk airport in western Russia, citingthe Russian Emergencies Ministry. They reported 132 people were aboardthe Tupolev Tu-154.

Thegovernor of the Smolensk region, where the crash took place about 11a.m. (0700 GMT), said no one survived.

"The Polish presidential plane did not make itto the runway while landing. Tentative findings indicate that it hitthe treetops and fell apart," Sergei Anufriev said on state news channelRossiya-24. "Nobody has survived the disaster."

Thecrash occurred about 1.5 km from Smolensk airport in foggy conditions.

According to reports, the pilot acceleratedas the plane came in toland and at that point lost contact with air traffic control. A firethen broke out.

The president and his wifewere on their way to attend a World War Two memorial service.

The Army chief of staff, Gen. FranciszekGagor, National Bank President Slawomir Skrzypek and Deputy ForeignMinister Andrzej Kremer were on the passenger list.

"The plane caught fire after the crash. Teamsbegan attempting to pull out passengers from the badly damagedairplane," said a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman in Warsaw.  

'Nothing like this has ever happened in Poland':A video grab shows more of the wreckage of the president's plane

The Polish government will hold anextraordinary meeting later today.

Poland's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Piotr Paszkowski, saidthere were 89 people on the passenger list but one person had not shownup.

"We still cannotfully understand the scope of this tragedy and what it means for us inthe future. Nothing like this has ever happened in Poland," Paszkowskisaid. "We can assume with great certainty that all persons on board havebeen killed."

Scene: A planecarrying the Polish president crashed on landing at Smolensk airport

Dark day for Poland:Mourners lay flowers in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw

PrimeMinister Gordon Brown paid tribute to Kaczynski while on the campaign trail in his home constituencyof Kirkaldy.

Hesaid: "I think the whole world will be saddened and in sorrow as aresult of this tragic plane crash. I think we know the difficultiesPoland has gone through and the sacrifices President Kaczynski has made."

A nation in mourning: As news of the tragicplane crash spread, Poles gathered at the Presidential Palace in Warsawto pay their respects

The president and his wife were ontheir way to a memorial service for the victims of the Katyn massacrewhich, in 1940, saw thousands of Polish prisoners of war murdered(primarily military officers), intellectuals, policemen, and otherpublic servants by the Soviet NKVD.

In Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an extraordinarymeeting of his Cabinet.

Kaczynski,60, became president in December 2005 after defeating Tusk in thatyear's presidential vote.

Dead: NationalBank President Slawomir Skrzypek, and the Army chief of staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagorboth died on board the plane

The nationalist conservative was thetwin brother of Poland's opposition leader, former Prime MinisterJaroslaw Kaczynski.

Kaczynskihad said he would seek a second term in presidential elections thisfall. He was expected to face an uphill struggle against Parliamentspeaker Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of Tusk's governing CivicPlatform party.

Accordingto the constitution, Komorowski would take over presidential duties.

Kaczynski's wife, Maria, was an economist.They had a daughter, Marta, and two granddaughters.