The government plane carrying President Lech Kaczyński, Maria Kaczyńska, and several dozen top officials of the country – the Polish delegation to the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre – crashed while landing at Smolensk airport. All passengers and crew perished.
Among the people on the flight with the president to Katyn were former President of the Republic of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, Vice Marshals of the Sejm Jerzy Szmajdziński and Krzysztof Putra, Vice Marshal of the Senate Krystyna Bochenek, presidential ministers: Władysław Stasiak, Paweł Wypych, and Mariusz Handzlik, Head of the National Security Bureau Aleksander Szczygło, Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs – Andrzej Kremer, Defense – Stanisław Komorowski, and Culture – Tomasz Merta, Ombudsman Janusz Kochanowski, President of the National Bank of Poland Sławomir Skrzypek, President of the Institute of National Remembrance Janusz Kurtyka.
Also on the flight were MPs: Maciej Płażyński, Arkadiusz Rybicki, Grzegorz Dolniak, Przemysław Gosiewski, Zbigniew Wassermann, Joanna Szymanek-Deresz, Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, Grażyna Gęsicka, Wiesław Woda, Edward Wojtas, Sebastian Karpiniuk, Leszek Deptuła, Aleksandra Natalia-Świat, and senators Janina Fetlińska and Stanisław Zając.
On the list of people flying on the presidential plane were also the commanders of the Polish armed forces: Gen. Andrzej Błasik, Gen. Tadeusz Buk, Gen. Franciszek Gągor, Brig. Gen. Kazimierz Gilarski, Gen. Bronisław Kwiatkowski, Brig. Gen. Archbishop Miron Chodakowski.
A week of national mourning was declared in Poland. Parishes of the Myszków Deanery will pray for the beatification of John Paul II and for all the victims of today’s presidential plane tragedy on the Day of the Pope. Holy Masses celebrated in the parishes of the Deanery will be combined with prayers for the victims of the tragedy.