President and Michelle Obama will travel to Poland Saturday for President Kaczynski’s funeral. Tuesday afternoon, the White House announced that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will fly to Poland Saturday to attend the funeral for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria. The funeral is scheduled for Sunday.
"The President will travel to Krakow to express the depth of our condolences to an important and trusted ally, and our support for the Polish people," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
Kaczynski, 60, and many people in his government were aboard the plane, including Kaczynski’s wife, Poland's army chief, the navy chief commander, and the governor of the Polish central bank.
The airplane was attempting to land in fog early Saturday morning when it crashed. Russian investigators have stated that nothing was wrong with the plane, and suspect pilot error. For more on that story, click here.
The plane was on its way to Russia for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn.
Sunday, a special memorial Mass was held for the people who died in Russia on Saturday at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Salt Lake City. Many of the people in attendance were of Polish descent. Photos of the people who died in the crash were there and the names of the people who died were read.
"The Polish nation has a tendency to be involved in tragic events," said Ivan Lach from Park City, Utah. Lach is of Polish descent. "I think this tragedy will unite the Polish people as only tragedy can. This is a time for us to support one another and grieve together," the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
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Sources: Fox News and the White House website
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