Looking back at plane crashes that killed presidents

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during his annual nationwide address, in Tehran on March 20, 2024.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 19. The helicopter carrying the Iranian leader crashed in fog and heavy rain in the area bordering Azerbaijan.

Mr. Raisi's death in the crash shocked Iran and the world . But President Raisi was not the first head of state to die in a plane crash. Here is a list of previous incidents.

President of Poland Lech Kaczynski (2010)

Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others died when their plane crashed on April 10, 2010, as it approached the airport in the Russian town of Smolensk.

According to local media, the accident at the time was believed to have been caused by heavy fog.

The Polish Foreign Ministry said the plane caught fire after the crash. Mr Kaczynski's wife, the Polish defence minister and the governor of the central bank were also on board.

In April 2022, a special Polish government commission released a report alleging that the crash was the result of an “assassination” plan. The report came after years of accusations by government officials and just two months after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out.

Two separate investigations conducted earlier by Russia and Poland found no evidence of a premeditated assassination.

President of North Macedonia Boris Trajkovski (2004)

A plane crash, believed to be caused by pilot error and technical failure, has killed North Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and eight others in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The crash occurred in the Stolac region in February 2004. According to local media, an investigation by Bosnia and Herzegovina experts attributed the crash to technical problems and errors in pilot procedures.

President of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana (1994)

Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down in 1994, in an event widely seen as the start of the country's genocide.

President Habyarimana had signed a peace deal with Tutsi rebels and was flying to the Rwandan capital when a missile hit his plane.

An investigation was launched four years later at the request of relatives of the French crew on board. The investigation has been a major point of contention between France and Rwanda.

French judges dismissed the long-running investigation in December 2016. Then, in 2020, a Paris appeals court rejected a request to reopen it.

President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul Haq (1988)

Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul Haq was killed in a plane crash along with the US ambassador and several top Pakistani military officials in August 1988.

The C-130 plane exploded minutes after takeoff from an air base in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur. Pakistani and US authorities have called the incident an accident, despite speculation.

There have been previous plane crashes involving world leaders.

On October 19, 1986, a twin-engine plane carrying Mozambique President Samora Machel and several Mozambican ministers crashed near the Mozambique-South African border. Thirty-three people died in the crash, including Mr. Machel, several ministers and senior Mozambican government officials. The pilot was found guilty in an investigation after the crash.

On August 1, 1981, Panamanian President Omer Torrijos died when the small plane he was piloting crashed into the jungle.

On May 24, 1981, Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldos Aguilera and Defense Minister General Marco Aurelio were killed when the plane they were traveling in crashed near the Peruvian border.

On April 27, 1969, Bolivian President Rene Barrientos died when his helicopter crashed in the city of Cochabamba.

On May 14, 1966, Iraqi President General Abdulsalam Arif died in a helicopter crash. President Arif took office in a coup in February 1963.

VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper

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