Polish President Kaczynski and His Wife in Plane Crash: At Least 87 Feared Dead

A plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski has crashed near a Russian airport, officials say. Russian media reported that 87 people were killed in the crash, but it is not yet known if anyone survived.

The plane was reportedly heading to an airport in the western city of Smolensk when it crashed.

Kaczynski was due to visit Smolensk to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, when Soviet troops killed thousands of Poles.

The Russian emergencies ministry told Itar-Tass news agency the plane crashed at 1056 Moscow time (0656 GMT).
Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said it had been flying from Moscow to Smolensk, but had no details on the identities of those killed.

The Polish Foreign Ministry said the president and his wife were aboard the plane, according to the Associated Press news agency.