VN shows deep sympathy to Poland’s tragedy

On behalf of the State and people of Việt Nam, President Triết extended his deep sympathy to Poland over the tragedy.

Polish people burn candles in commemoration of President Kaczynski in front of the Presidential Place in Warsaw - Photo: AP

A passenger list provided by Polish authorities contains 89 names, but Russian sources said as many as 132 people may have been on board.

Thousands of Poles rushed to laid wreaths and burn candles in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

Mr. Kaczynski had been on his way to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre at the start of World War II.

"I, like all Russian citizens, have accepted with deep and sincere shock the news of the tragic death of the Republic of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and the members of the large Polish delegation near the city of Smolensk, who were on their way for commemorations in Katyn," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a message to Poland's leaders.

Russian news agencies said President Kaczynski's plane made four attempts to land in thick fog at the Smolensk airbase.

Eyewitness reports said the plane clipped the top of trees while it was making its final approach, hit the edge of the airfield and burst into flames.

Russia's official RIA-Novosti news agency quoted an anonymous Smolensk security official as saying that "human error" was to blame for the crash.

"A mistake by the crew during landing maneuvers has supposedly caused the crash," the official said.

The plane was a Russian-built Tupolev Tu-154, an aging Soviet-era aircraft whose safety record has been tarnished by several high-profile crashes in recent years.