WARSAW, Poland—As news broke this morning of the tragic government airplane crash near Smolensk, Russia, which killed the Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, the crew and many prominent political figures in the Polish government, journalists and incredulous residents began to stream to the Presidential Palace in Warsaw in search of answers.
All television stations began to broadcast regular situational updates, replete with drastic images of the twisted wreckage of the airplane, smoldering in a wooded area adjacent to the military airport in Smolensk.
A live transmission was set up outside the Presidential Palace, which houses both the offices and the living quarters of the Polish President.
As news of the extent of this unprecedented tragedy began to pour in from its source in western Russia, spontaneous displays of commemoration and commiseration were caught on camera as people began to lay flowers, wreaths and light candles outside the gate of the Presidential Palace.
Within several hours, with more and more answers coming to light, these individual rivulets of grief turned into a veritable torrent of sorrow, and the sea of wreaths and candles grew to imposing proportions. Such is the picture of a nation in grief, in a show of solidarity with those so tragically lost.
All television stations began to broadcast regular situational updates, replete with drastic images of the twisted wreckage of the airplane, smoldering in a wooded area adjacent to the military airport in Smolensk.
A live transmission was set up outside the Presidential Palace, which houses both the offices and the living quarters of the Polish President.
As news of the extent of this unprecedented tragedy began to pour in from its source in western Russia, spontaneous displays of commemoration and commiseration were caught on camera as people began to lay flowers, wreaths and light candles outside the gate of the Presidential Palace.
Within several hours, with more and more answers coming to light, these individual rivulets of grief turned into a veritable torrent of sorrow, and the sea of wreaths and candles grew to imposing proportions. Such is the picture of a nation in grief, in a show of solidarity with those so tragically lost.
