RUSSIA: Eyewitnesses describe how the plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed near Smolensk, killing 96 people

Record ID: 382701

  • Title: RUSSIA: Eyewitnesses describe how the plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed near Smolensk, killing 96 people
  • Date: 11th April 2010
  • Summary: NEAR SMOLENSK, RUSSIA (APRIL 10, 2010) (REUTERS) (CONVERTED 4:3) POLICE CARS NEAR CRASH SITE POLICE OFFICER WITH DOG AMBULANCE DRIVING ALONG ROAD VARIOUS OF PLANE WRECKAGE IN WOODS POLCE NEAR SITE 6 FIRE ENGINE VARIOUS OF DAMAGED TREES (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) EYEWITNESS SERGEI KISHAN SAYING: "Around 1040 I heard the sound of a plane; I could hear from the sound it was flying low and there was something wrong, my electricity went inside the garage and the sound of the plane disappeared; it was clear it had crashed. I came out and looked, I walked around the garage into the field, in the field the trees had been razed low and it was clear from what happened to the trees that the plane was flying no higher than four metres off the ground, then tried to gain height. You can see from those branches over there it was flying at 10 metres off the ground but there in its path was one big tree which decided the plane's fate and the wing of the plane was torn off and flew about 50 metres from the tree and then the plane went on down." PLANE WRECKAGE NEAR ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) EYEWITNESS MARIF IPATOV SAYING : "I had been here 15 minutes when I saw the plane flying low and I saw something serious was going on, it was cutting, cutting the trees, then over there there was a big noise, boom - like a bomb." DAMAGED TREE PLANES ON TARMAC AT AIRPORT MOSCOW, RUSSIA (APRIL 10, 2010) (REUTERS) (16:9) VARIOUS OF POLISH EMBASSY IN MOSCOW WITH FLAGS LOWERED TO HALF MAST SIGN ON EMBASSY WALL WITH POLISH EMBLEM READING "EMBASSY OF REPUBLIC OF POLAND" WOMAN WITH DAUGHTER LAYING FLOWERS AND AND LIGHTING CANDLES AT EMBASSY CLOSE OF FLOWERS ON GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ANTONINA SHMELYOVA, MOSCOW RESIDENT SAYING; "Tusk and Putin met recently to commemorate Katyn. We hoped for improvement of relations between Poland and Russia, the president (of Poland) went to Katyn by plane and this plane crash happened in Russia. It's terrible." PEOPLE STANDING AT EMBASSY WALL/ FLOWERS ON GROUND FLOWERS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT, ALEXEI POLYANSKI SAYING: "At first there will be a hard time for the Polish people. But I'm sure God will help them, and all of us who sympathize with them in their sorrow can help them, just coming here and being here." POLISH FLAGS AT HALF MAST INSIDE EMBASSY EMBASSY WALL WITH FLOWERS ON GROUND
  • Embargoed: 26th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVAC1DD92DOPBJP38CMBZZEI8U6A
  • Story Text: Eyewitness have described how the plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed into trees near Smolensk airport in Russia on Saturday (April 10), killing 96 people.
    The Tupolev Tu-154 plunged into a forest about two km (1.3 miles) from the airport. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but reports said there was thick fog in the area.
    Sergei Keshan was working in a garage near the airport when he heard the sound of a plane overhead.
    "I could hear from the sound it was flying low and there was something wrong; my electricity went and the sound of the plane disappeared, it was clear it had crashed," he said.
    "In the field the trees had been razed low and it was clear from what happened to the trees that the plane was flying no higher than four metres off the ground, then tried to gain height.
    "It was flying at 10 metres off the ground but there in its path was one big tree which decided the plane's fate and the wing of the plane was torn off and flew about 50 metres from the tree and then the plane went on down.
    Another man, Marif Ipatov, said: "I saw the plane flying low and I saw something serious was going on, it was cutting the trees, then there was a big noise, boom - like a bomb."
    Kaczynski was flying to Russia for events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police in Katyn and elsewhere during World War II.
    The plane was at least 20 years old. Kaczynski's wife Maria, army chief of staff general Franciszek Gagor, National Bank President Slawomir Skrzypek and deputy foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer were on the passenger list.
    In Moscow, flags flew at half mast at the Polish embassy as well wishers laid flowers at the gates.
    "At first there will be a hard time for the Polish people. But I'm sure God will help them, and all of us who sympathize with them in their sorrow can help them, just coming here and being here," said Moscow resident Alexei Polyanski.
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