Condolences

This morning the Polish presidential plane crashed near Smolensk in Russia, on the way to a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyń massacre. It is estimated that 96 people were on the plane, none of whom survived. Passengers included Polish President Lech Kaczyński and his wife as well as MPs, senators, commanders of the armed forces and the head of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance.
A whole swathe of major figures in Polish public life was killed, with bitterly poignant timing. On Polish blogs and news sites, the 'comments' boxes teem with conspiracy theories: old tensions with Russia are easily reawakened. Questions have also been raised about the age and condition of the presidential aircraft and the wisdom of transporting so many important people in the same aeroplane.
Now is not the time for speculation though. Now is a time to offer deepest sympathies and condolences to Poland and its people and to all who lost family or friends in this tragic accident.

BBC Article

Gazeta Wyborcza