Smolensk plane crash

[winter]

The plane carrying the Polish president, his wife and various officials just crashed in Smolensk, due to fog while landing

I'm... numb. I didn't vote for him, but oh, he loved cats (and Cats the musical), couldn't stand dancing vampires, during a visit to Japan his wife got dressed up in a kimono and squeed like a teenage girl showing it off to reporters. The military bishops (Catholic and Orthodox) were there too, and the guy who was the last president of our government-in-exile during Communism.

Past tense, already, and I hope, hope so much for survivors...

EDIT: Confirmed no survivors. Head of the National Bank of Poland, too, and top three or four of the major opposition party (which the president was part of). And all due to an ancient Russian plane that they were to replace ten years ago and got bogged down in public procurement. 87 dead.

Comments

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

I've just seen it on the news, and... doesn't sound good. :-(

[winter]

Very much not good. I cannot imagine what will happen here over the next two weeks. That was about 10% of the most important people in the political system. And the head of the opposition party is the President's identical twin, a single and very obsessed man very attached to their elderly and ailing mother... poor, poor guy.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

meep! :( This is especially horrible given the event they were going to commemorate :(

[winter]

Yes :((( I'm so sad especially about the 91-year-old ex-president-in-exile. 91 years of war and fighting communism, then to die like that...

(And Maria Kaczynska. She was quietly, quietly awesome, the personification of the quiet Polish housewife who knows very well what she's doing and wields more power than anyone suspects.)

[connie]

Oh no! :(

[winter]

Newest information is that there were over 130 people on board :(

[amamiyarin.livejournal.com]

Oh, God. My condolences. Really sorry to read this. D:

[winter]

It's just - numbing.

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

That is horrible.... :/

[winter]

It's just - politicians, yes, but ours. The guy was president of Warsaw before. We shared a vet!

[utena1409.livejournal.com]

Omg, this is really horrible... :/
And so many important people at once... I guess it's going to be quite the chaos for a few days? :/

[winter]

Quite so :( Thankfully no executive-branch government types apart from the vice-minister of National Defense, but still - all of the Chiefs of Staff for once, and so many prominent politicians. I can't think of a precedent.

[wottie.livejournal.com]

Holy crap! That's awful, especially considering they've tried to replace the plane before! What's going to happen? Is there precedent for this kind of thing?

[winter]

There are procedures, but dear heavens, it'll be chaos. Apparently the Russians are putting Putin himself in charge of investigating it all, and for once I'm glad - like him or hate him, he's a competent spy-investigator-type-person.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

Oh cripes. This is huge. I was just making fun of the drama between Mr Skrzypek and Mr Vincent-Rostowski a few days ago, and suddenly it's this.

I take it Ryszard Kaczorowski was onboard?

[winter]

*nods* To go from the Grey Scouts to POW to soldier to president, to see the war and Poland reborn only to die like that...

The presidential candidate of the leftist party (SLD) is also dead. And all of the Chiefs of Staff.

[mariem-1.livejournal.com]

Oh God! It's horrible!

[winter]

It's just - these things shouldn't happen.

[hotbeast.livejournal.com]

Dowiedziałam się jadąc na Szembeka, jakaś starsza pani zaczęła wykrzykiwać wiadomości usłyszane przez telefon i aż trudno mi było uwierzyć... Kimkolwiek byli i jakie przekonania mieli teraz tylko ogarnia mnie żal że już ich nie ma. Prezydenta ja też nie wybrałam, ale jego żonę ceniłam i lubiłam. Może i dobrze że Putin ma nadzorować dochodzenie ale boję się jednego- Rosjanie zawsze trzymają karty przy orderach i nie ufam do końca ich wyjaśnieniom zdarzeń.
No to czeka nas chaos.

[winter]

No wlasnie Kaczynskiej mi strasznie zal. Kobieta z kompletna klasa, naprawde zuch dziewczyna.

Zbyt wiele osob to widzialo jak na teorie spiskowe. Podobno to bylo czwarte podejscie...

[amenirdis.livejournal.com]

Oh my God. I am so sorry....

[winter]

It's just like a novel. Reminds me of 9/11 in that precise way - these things only happen in Tom Clancy books.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

How awful. When I read it I had that 9/11 reaction of "come on, this must be a hoax, these things do not happen in real life, not like that". Damn it.

[winter]

Exactly that. Just so absolutely flooring.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

wow that's... I'm sorry :(

[malike.livejournal.com]

It was in the news here just now. So tragic :(

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

That's awful, for everyone on board and their families.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Migod.

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. What a huge tragedy! Is there a clear succession or is the government going to be in turmoil for a while?

[winter]

Clear succession, thankfully, and it's not like the US president - it's more of a Queen-of-England type of role with ceremonial duties and some power only re: foreign policy, cross-checking the other branches (signing off on legal acts and official nominations) etc. But there's going to be a hell of a mess in politics.

[happy-riceball.livejournal.com]

I can't even wrap my brain around something like this happening.

[winter]

Right now, I'm just wondering who puts so many important people on one plane :(

[galynthia.livejournal.com]

I was shocked when I saw the news story this morning. I wish you all the best in this tough time.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

How awful, I agree that it seems not a good idea to put so many important people all on the same plane.

I hope Poland is able to deal with this unexpected disaster.

[winter]

Thus far it looks like we're dealing - all the mechanisms are in full swing, every important position having an official replacement automatically appointed - but the impact of this will go on for years.

[b-a-n-s-h-e-e.livejournal.com]

This is so shocking and absolutely unbelievable :( Our condolences to Poland.

[winter]

I was very touched by the Russian president declaring national mourning in Russia, Lithuanians doing the same etc. I hope it can work as a way to pull the region together...

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

This was the first thing I saw when I turned on the news this morning, less than 10 minutes ago, and the first thing I thought of was checking your LJ. I'm so sorry that so many people were lost.

[winter]

It's still sinking in. Thank you for your thoughts :(

[armadillogoddes.livejournal.com]

That's so horrible... I'm so sorry. I can't believe there were so many government officials put on one plane. It's like something out of a thriller novel or film... and something you'd never want to encounter outside of one of those stories.

[winter]

They always learn after the fact, alas :(

[trobadora]

Wow. I don't even know what to say.

What you said above about Tom Clancy novels? That was exactly what I was thinking.

[winter]

I guess it's shifted from that into one more headline about Soviet-made airplanes falling down :(

[isis-whit.livejournal.com]

I read the news this morning at work and just couldn't believe it. I have a co-worker who is from Poland, and she felt mostly numb, too. She kept busy because she didn't want to think about it while at work. It's just so hard to believe, it's so unreal, perhaps because I haven't seen actual pictures yet.

It's such a huge loss for your country. My thoughts are with you. :(

[winter]

I've been watching the news since 10AM, and it's not sinking in that much yet :( It's just too serious to believe.