Czech Republic Mourns Polish Plane Crash Victims

Czech government has declared April 17-18 official days of mourning

Expats.cz Staff Jason Pirodsky

Written by Expats.cz StaffJason Pirodsky Published on 16.04.2010 16:38:13 (updated on 16.04.2010) Reading time: 1 minute

Czech Republic to Mourn Polish Plane Crash Victims This Weekend

The Czech government has declared April 17-18 official days of mourning and has asked citizens to observe a moment of silence on Saturday to honor the memory of the Polish victims in last weekend´s plane crash.

Deputy Prime Minister Jan Kohout said that flags will fly at half-mast on all public and government buildings over the weekend and has asked organizers of public, cultural and sporting events to find a suitable way to honor the victims.

A Czech delegation headed by President Vaclav Klaus will attend a mourning ceremony in Warsaw on Saturday. Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife will be buried on Sunday. The Polish Embassy in Prague has become an outpouring of sympathy. People have been bringing flowers and lighting candles; and there is a book of condolences to sign there as well.

Last Saturday, a Polish plane carrying the president and many other high-ranking government officials crashed in the fog while attempting to land at the Smolensk airport in Russia. The group was on its way to a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the World War II massacre at Katyn. All 96 people on board were killed.

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