Death and funeral of Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyńska
Lech Kaczyński, the fourth President of the Republic of Poland, died on 10 April 2010. He died in a plane crash outside of Smolensk, Russia. The plane was a Tu-154 belonging to the Polish Air Force. The crash killed all 96 on board. His wife, Maria Kaczyńska, was also among those killed.[1][2][3]
The speaker of parliament, Bronisław Komorowski, soon became Acting President by law.[4]
After the death of Kaczyński was announced, Komorowski declared a week of mourning. It went from 11 to 18 April. A state funeral for Lech and Maria was held on the last day.[5] Several countries observed a day of national mourning on the day of the funeral. Afterwards, the couple were buried together in a crypt in the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków.[6][7]
President of the United States Barack Obama cancelled his plans. He made a public statement. He spoke of his sadness and blamed the volcanic ash that was disrupting air travel over Europe at the time.[8]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "World Leaders React to Polish President's Death". Voice of America. 10 April 2010. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ↑ "World leaders pay tribute to Polish leader". CNN. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ↑ "Yudhoyono expresses condolences over Polish President's death". The Jakarta Post. 10 April 2010. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ↑ "Chinese president offers condolences to Poland over plane crash". Xinhua News Agency. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ↑ "Kaczynski to rest among Poland's kings, heroes". CBC News. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ↑ "Poles turn out for state funeral". Al Jazeera. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ↑ "Poland holds state funeral for President Lech Kaczynski". BBC News. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ↑ "Volcanic ash: Obama cancels trip to Kaczynski funeral". The Hindu. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
